CWB reports good headway on exports

(Resource News International) — The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) is making
good headway on its export commitments for 2007-08 and
should be ahead of schedule next spring provided farmers can be
persuaded to make their deliveries earlier, rather than later,
said a CWB official.

“We have really strong sales on the books, and we’ll be
using all of the tonnage available to us from the railways
through every Canadian transportation corridor,” said Mark
Thibeault, director of supply optimization with the CWB.

“The winter rail program is underway, and we’ll have strong
movement throughout the winter months,” said Thibeault. He
expected the tonnage shipped through the annual program to be
similar to previous years.

In 2006-07 the CWB railed roughly one million tonnes of grain from Western Canada to eastern
ports, while the Port of Thunder Bay was closed for the winter.

Thibeault estimated that roughly 90 per cent of the CWB’s sales
commitments for the year would be filled by the end of May, which
would be ahead of a normal year when only 80 per cent of sales
commitments would be filled by that time. He also noted, however,
that the CWB has less wheat and durum to market this year,
due to smaller production.

Western Canadian farmers have three opportunities over the
course of a year to contract their grain with the CWB. The
majority is usually contracted through the A series, which was
due at the end of October, with the B series deadline coming up
at the end of January and the C series at the end of May.

Thibeault said the CWB was working to encourage producers
still holding onto wheat supplies to contract through the B
series, rather than wait until the C series deadline.

“It will be a challenge to ensure that the producers deliver everything early
this year,” he said, adding that sales could be delayed if
producers hold off until the later deadline and not enough grain
is available.