China’s restrictions remain on Canadian canola

(Resource News International) — China’s import restrictions on Canadian canola remain intact despite reports to the contrary, according to an official with the Canola Council of Canada.

“We’ve heard nothing official in regards to this issue,” council president JoAnne Buth said.

Buth was responding to reports late last week from the China National Grain and Oils Information Centre that China may relax its restrictions against Canadian canola imports.

China in November began requiring that import shipments of Canadian canola be declared free of blackleg disease, which is common in Canada.

“We have had no indication from the Chinese government at this point on any relaxation of the import rules for Canadian canola,” she said.

She acknowledged, however, that conversations on this issue are continuous between Canada and the Chinese government.

“The Canola Council has been in constant communication with the government of Canada and also with Canada’s canola exporters,” Buth said. “We have been working with them to address the concerns of the Chinese government.”

Buth said a variety of things were currently being looked at to resolve the issue.

“Right now there are plans for a few co-operative research projects,” she said. “The Canola Council has also been collecting some additional information in terms of what the risk might be to China’s rapeseed crop if Canadian canola would be imported.”

The government of Canada has also been in touch with the Chinese government on a constant basis in regards to the risk and areas into which Canada might be able to export canola that have a low risk of spreading the disease.

The Canadian government has also been addressing the technical questions regarding blackleg, she said.

Buth added that China would likely be making decisions soon on how much Canadian canola will need to be imported.

Based on data from Statistics Canada, Canadian canola exports to China so far in the 2009-10 crop year total 1.5 million tonnes. Of that total, 1.1 million tonnes of Canadian canola were exported to China before the import restrictions were imposed in November. There have been 400,000 tonnes shipped to China since the import restrictions were put in place.

During the 2008-09 season, Canada exported 2.9 million tonnes of canola to China. During the 2007-08 crop year, those exports totalled 700,000 tonnes.