Canada's agriculture minister said on Thursday he will meet grain industry representatives who want to opt out of the Canadian Wheat Board's near monopoly on marketing Western Canadian wheat and barley.
"Canada's new government campaigned on the idea that western Canadian grain producers should have a choice whether to market their products through the CWB," Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said in a release.
"Our invited experts will help chart a path towards a successful marketing choice alternative that will also ensure a strong and profitable CWB continues to serve farmers in the future."
The wheat board is one of the world's largest grain marketing organisations, and annually sells more than 20 million tonnes of western Canadian wheat and barley from a single selling desk.
The July 27 meeting will be chaired by the parliamentary secretary for the wheat board, David Anderson, a vocal opponent to the CWB's monopoly. The round-table meeting aims to assist the minority Conservative government's effort to implement a dual-marketing system for western Canadian grain farmers to try to facilitate bigger profits. The Conservatives were elected in January. The CWB has said it cannot survive a dual market.
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