Manitoba
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Competitiveness, Training and Trade

Business Opportunities for Agriculture and Food Processing Banner

Industry: Cereal Grain, Oilseed, Specialty & Forages Sector

Meat/Dairy | Cereal/Grain | Vegetable | Prepared Food/Beverage | Growing Opportunities | Commodities

  • Bottled beer topTraditional crops of wheat and barley occupied 39.4 per cent of harvested crop area in 2004.

  • Manitoba has long been the centre of the grain trade and is the headquarters of Cargill Canada, Agricore United, James Richardson and Sons, the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange and the Canadian Wheat Board.

  • In 2004, Manitoba produced 26 per cent of Canada’s flaxseed, 23 per cent of the national canola crop and 81 per cent of the country’s sunflower seed.

  • Manitoba has canola-crushing facilities in Altona and Saint Agathe, producing oil for human consumption and meal products for an expanding livestock sector. A significant proportion of this production is destined for the export market.

  • Manitoba supplied over 65 per cent of the Canadian buckwheat crop in 2004. Buckwheat is one of the best sources of high-quality, easily digestible protein, high in carbohydrates and numerous minerals and vitamins. It’s the perfect ingredient for a range of food and nutraceutical products.

  • Dry white bean production was 28 % of the national crop in 2004.

  • Five per cent of Canada’s dry pea crop, and four % of the canary seed crop, were produced in Manitoba in 2004.

  • waterManitoba has the capacity to process 170,000 tonnes (11 million bushels) of oats annually.

  • Forage products are being exported to Japan, the U.S., Argentina, Italy, China and South Korea.

  • Timothy seed currently goes to the U.S., Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

  • Forage seed exports from Manitoba increased from $17.4 million in 1993 to $34.3 million in 2004.

Opportunities to explore:

  • quality ingredients for niche markets Accessing new markets for oat products through greater nutritional awareness

  • Soybean crushing plant (Soybean acreage in Manitoba has been undergoing significant expansion, and soybeans grown for crushing are currently shipped to plants in North Dakota and Minneapolis.)

  • Flax linoleum-flooring project, given current flax acreage

  • Manitoba is ideally suited for expanded forage production. In addition to traditional feed uses, forage offers opportunities for extraction of base components.

Also view the Value-Added Food Processing Sector | Peak of the Market