2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Changing Grain Exporting System in Canada and Reform of the Canadian Wheat

Research Project

Project/Area Number	11660231
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Agro-economics
Research Institution	Ritsumeikan University
Principal Investigator	MATSUBARA Toyohiko Professor, College of Economics, Ritsumeikan University, 経済学部, 教授 (50165859)
Project Period (FY)	1999 – 2000
Keywords	Canada / grain exporting system / state trading enterprise / agribusiness / food
Research Abstract	The purpose of this study is to examine the recent drastic change of grain exporting system in Canada and the reform of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), the sole marketing body of wheat and barley produced in the Prairie Provinces. Author focused on the background of the reform of CWB and its possible impacts to the grain exporting system in Canada. In addition, author examined issues of grain transportation, particularly current debates on grain transportation policy. Major results of this study are as follows ; First of all, exporting market of Canadian grain has changed substantially since 1980s. Under the changing exporting market, logistics of Canadian grain to the exporting position has drastically changed. The most important change was the big decrease of shipping volume from Thunder Bay at the Lake Superior to Russia and European Countries. On the contrary, share of shipping rain from Pacific Ports has increased. Second, there is remarkable trend to the consolidation of primary el … More evators. Major elevator companies have invested to build new high throughput elevators beside mainline of railway. Many old primary elevators have been closed in the areas where high throughput elevators have been built. Another important point is that transnational agribusiness corporations like as Cargill and ADM have entered grain handling and processing business in Canada since the Canada-U.S.Free Trade Agreement. Author pointed out this trend as transnational integration of grain industry in North America. Third, CWB has reformed its organization since January 1999 after the heated controversy on single desk selling of CWB.Main point of organizational reform of CWB was the change from crown corporation to shared governance corporation between grain producers and federal government. The reform was characterized by the accountability to grain producers and the increased flexibility of operation. But the operation of CWB has not actually changed at the end of 2000. Author pointed out to continue the research for observing the result of operational reform of CWB. Less