Lantic Sugar says Taber operations should return to normal this year
Lantic Sugar expects operations at its Taber sugar beet plant to return to normal output in 2021, but could incur higher production costs as it adheres to pandemic safety protocols.
The statement was part of the company’s recent first-quarter earnings release.
Through the company’s entire production network, sales volume increased 1.1 per cent in late 2020, as consumer demand rose to more than offset drops in the food service industry.
Volumes also rose, as the company met new export quotas of beet sugar sales to the United States under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement that came into effect last summer.
That will involve 14,600 tonnes in 2021 from the Taber facility, where the company expects a return to “normal operating conditions” following a near 50 per cent crop loss from an early freeze up in late 2019.
The recent harvest should provide 128,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar, Lantic said.
The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) announced Feb. 18 that the grain sector is embarking on a major campaign to raise awareness and seek solutions for outdated and problematic marine port governance rules.
“We are working in a port oversight system that simply lacks proper checks and balances, in contrast to what we have in rail or air transportation where there are tools available to hold people accountable for decisions,” said Wade Sobkowich, Executive Director of the WGEA. “With marine ports, we have no recourse to an adequate appeal mechanism, no outside dispute resolution, no independent complaint process, and no effective input to Director nominations – the federal government needs to address these shortcomings in the Port Modernization Review.”
Over the last couple of years, port terminal operators like the grain elevators have experienced some decisions that are unjustified and lack a deeper level of transparency necessary to hold decision makers accountable. Double digit annual rent increases, large but sometimes unsubstantiated ‘improvement fees’, and questionable priority setting on infrastructure spending are areas of concern. The dual role of Canadian port authorities as developer and regulator also places them in an apparent conflict of interest, which is something that the government should be looking at carefully. Lastly, as the federal government’s representative for port lands and operations, port authorities need to reconsider their role to help remove duplicative or overly restrictive sub-federal government regulations on port terminal operators.
“The Government of Canada needs to act on the major clean-up of marine port governance that was recommended during the review of the Canadian Transportation Act back in 2016-17,” continued Sobkowich, “This is having a large negative effect on our ability to unlock existing capacity and to grow the agri-food export sector.”
The WGEA is an association of grain businesses operating in Canada which collectively handle in excess of 90% of western Canada’s bulk grain exports.
Canadians are more likely to look for Canadian food in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new survey by Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
“The events of the past year have shown us that in times of crisis, the Canadian agriculture industry continues to provide safe and reliable food,” said Marty Seymour, FCC’s director of industry relations.
“Canadians have noticed and are responding with appreciation for the agriculture and food industry’s ability to adapt, even under difficult circumstances.”
In the survey conducted between January 8 and 12, 2021, there is evidence of an emerging shift in what Canadians are doing and thinking about when it comes to buying their groceries.
When asked if their behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic, six out of 10 people or 58 per cent said they are more likely to buy Canadian made or grown food, 56 per cent are more likely to look for Canadian made or grown food when they buy groceries and 50 per cent are more likely to think about how their food is grown.
“On February 23, we will be celebrating Canada’s Agriculture Day. Each year the national event celebrates the contributions of Canada’s agriculture and food sectors, sharing the importance of understanding where our food comes from with all Canadians,” Seymour said. “This year’s fifth anniversary celebration is even more meaningful given the challenges producers and processors have faced in the past year,” he said. “We see these survey results as an endorsement by Canadians for the continued support and celebration of a strong agriculture and food industry.”
According to the same survey, eight in 10 Canadians believe Canada’s food system and agriculture sector responded well to the pandemic. Most of the respondents (94 per cent) say they are strong supporters of Canada’s agriculture sector and 91 per cent agree Canadian farmers are underappreciated.
“It is encouraging to see such a strong endorsement for the efforts of the women and men across Canada who are committed to this unique and valuable industry. The vast majority of Canadians agree that it’s important we have a strong agriculture and food sector to ensure we can continue to be a source of safe, reliable and affordable food,” Seymour said.
The survey was conducted for FCC with 2,000 Canadian residents. The margin of error is +/- 2.17 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The data was weighted according to census data to ensure the sample matched Canada’s population.
FCC is Canada’s leading agriculture and food lender, with a healthy loan portfolio of more than $41 billion. Our employees are dedicated to the future of Canadian agriculture and food. We provide flexible, competitively priced financing, management software, information and knowledge specifically designed for the agriculture and food industry. As a self-sustaining Crown corporation, we provide an appropriate return to our shareholder, and reinvest our profits back into the industry and communities we serve.