CALGARY, AB: Today, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association congratulated GrainsConnect Canada Operations Inc. on its exciting announcement to create a new fully integrated supply chain for Canadian farmers, including the construction of several new elevators in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“It’s great to see this new investment,” said Jim Wickett, Chair of the Wheat Growers.“ Anything that increases competition for our grain is always welcome news.”
GrainsConnect is a joint venture between the Australian-based GrainCorp Limited and the Japanese-based Zen-Noh Grain Corporation. Both of these companies are major players in the international market and should be in a position to provide excellent new market opportunities for western Canadian grain farmers.
“The Wheat Growers see plenty of growth opportunities in the prairie grain sector,” said Wickett. “With investments by GrainsConnect and others, our industry will be well-positioned to meet increased global demand for our grain.”
The Wheat Growers see this announcement as another positive result of winning grain marketing freedom in 2012. The construction of new elevators on the prairies will allow farmers to move more grain off the farm at harvest time, and should strengthen grain bids. It will also improve our export capacity, as grain will be that much closer to being in an export-ready position, whether that grain ultimately moves through Canadian or U.S. ports.Increasing rail capacity will be important to ensuring farmers see the full benefits of this new investment.
About the Wheat Growers:
Founded in 1970, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is a voluntary farmer-run advocacy organization dedicated to developing public policy solutions that strengthen the profitability and sustainability of farming, and the agricultural industry as a whole. For more information, please visit wheatgrowers.ca.
For More Information Contact:
Robin Speer, Executive Director
587-988-4741
rspeer@wheatgrowers.ca