Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | CNS Canada — Following two years of varying qualities for Canadian durum, the world still wants higher-quality grain, according to Rhyl Doyle. “The world still wants (No. 1) CWAD and last year although the profile was mostly (No. 3) CWAD, they still wanted 1 CWAD. So there are a spectrum of markets for […] Read more
High-quality durum still top of mind for buyers
In North Africa, it’s all about the colour
The bright yellow colour of Canadian durum gives it an advantage in this competitive market
Reading Time: 2 minutes For North African customers of Canadian durum, yellow is more than just the colour of the food products processed from it. Millers and processors view the bright yellow that Canadian Western Amber Durum (CWAD) wheat provides as a crucial trait for their pasta and couscous quality. Couscous is a popular traditional dish in the region, […] Read more
Year-ago Canadian canola crop revised higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Canada’s 2016 canola crop has been revised higher in Statistics Canada’s first production estimates for 2017, released Thursday. StatsCan raised the 2016-17 production number from 18.4 million tonnes to 19.6 million, and pegged the 2017 crop at 18.2 million tonnes, which was somewhere in the middle of trade estimates. “I think there’s […] Read more
Italy demands origin labels for pasta, rice
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rome | Reuters — All packets of pasta and rice sold in Italy will have to include labels of origin showing where the produce was grown, the government ruled on Thursday, a move aimed at protecting local farmers. The agriculture and industry ministers signed a decree ordering the new labelling policy, saying it would run […] Read more
As Italy seeks pasta labels, Canada worries about durum sales
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Rome | Reuters — Italy has this week formally asked the European Commission to allow it to require country-of-origin labels on pasta sold there, raising alarms for Canadian durum wheat exporters who fear the move will dampen sales. Italian Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina said on Twitter on Monday that Italy had sent a decree to […] Read more
StatsCan data confirm tight canola supplies
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Grain and oilseed stocks data released Friday from Statistics Canada were bullish for canola and wheat — though analysts suggest the effects of the report on the market may be short-lived. Figures for barley, lentils and peas were above year-ago levels, but movements in those markets are more likely be driven by […] Read more
Is climate change making leaf diseases worse?
Durum quality took a beating last year, and climate change could see more of the same
Reading Time: 3 minutes It is difficult — even impossible — to define the precise relationship between climate change and disease incidence and severity in Western Canada. But new research from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre is contributing a few pieces to the puzzle. Research scientist Myriam Fernandez says breeding for resistance to the […] Read more
Durum lacks momentum ahead of competing harvests
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Canadian durum prices are at a standstill as the market looks to upcoming production, while domestic crops act as a “wild card,” one Winnipeg-based analyst says. “The durum market is certainly quiet right now. We’re kind of in that period where we’re in a lull,” said Jerry Klassen, manager of the Canadian […] Read more
Canary seed market watches peso ahead of planting
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — It’s not a stellar time for canary seed prices but the situation could improve, depending on acreage this spring and what the Mexico peso does in 2017. “Prices are not showing a whole lot of strength,” said Kevin Hursh, executive director of the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan. “We’re probably in that […] Read more
Italy’s pasta labeling plan raises Canadian concerns
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Rome | Reuters — Canada has raised concerns with Rome about Italy’s plan to require country-of-origin labels on pasta sold there, Canada’s agriculture minister said on Wednesday about a move that is alarming Canadian wheat exporters just as a free trade deal gained European approval. Rome sent a draft decree to the European Commission in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
