The Rural Voice, 1981-02, Page 25VOICE OF A FARMER
Quebec leads in agriculture,
manufacturing and trade
BY ADRIAN VOS
When Sleeping Beauty woke up after a century of rest, she
was energized enough to marry the Prince who kissed her back
into consciousness.
The same is happening with La Belle Province, Quebec.
Coming awake after the death of Maurice DuPlessis, through the
kiss of the Quiet Revolution, by Daniel Johnson; the province has
steadily pulled together its energies to become a leader in
Canada in agriculture, manufacturing and foreign trade.
Particularly in foreign trade of agricultural products, Quebec
has set an example to the rest of Canada on how to cash in
through confidence in the country. An extreme example of that
confidence was the attempt at independence.
Canadians from Quebec took the results of greatly expanded
pork production and went out to sell it in the traditional markets
of countries like Denmark.
Our more Anglo -oriented meat packers meanwhile, by and
large, have been telling us that they don't need to do any more;
that marketing boards don't know the difficulties of internation-
al marketing; that development of new markets is too expensive
and more excuses.
The Canadian Meat Council has been offered any help
marketing boards can give in developing export markets for
meat, all meat, in cooperation with beef and lamb producers, but
no response has been forthcoming.
Meanwhile, the US industry has not been sitting still. Some
years ago they formed the Meat Export Federation (MEF), to
coordinate all efforts at developing meat exports.
When the Ontario Pork Board sent its exports consultant to
Venezuela recently, they found that the Canadian meat industry
there was represented by an agent. However, this agent could
not take any orders for cuts tailored to that market, only for
domestic cuts that were the same as for our domestic market.
This, of course, eliminated virtually all fresh pork.
The OPPMB has had some promises from smaller Ontario
packers to follow up on the findings of the consultant.
The Americans in the meantime sent a team of pork traders to
Venezuela and the Caribbean to study the market' thoroughly.
They will be ready as soon as this Latin American OPEC country
opens its doors wider for pork and other meat imports.,
Given the experience of the last few years, one can be assured
that Quebec traders will be there with Canadian pork products.
Packers have expressed some reservations about the proposed
new export agency promoted by Agriculture minister Eugene
Whelan, Canagrex, and they may have reason for this.
Canagrex will have the power to give credit to prospective
buyers, have professional directors drawn from the trade, as well
as the power of a trading company, and will cooperate with
processors and exporters.
The reservations come when MP Ralph Ferguson, who is
working on Canagrex, told the Canadian Farm Writers in Ottawa
recently that Canagrex would proportion export efforts to the
provinces.
Was he talking about a provincial export quota system? If he
was, it would be patently unjust to Quebec traders who have led
the wav in increasing pork exports. Whatever he meant, our
Ontario meat processors would do well to get cracking before the
opportunity is taken away from them.
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THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUAR" 1981 PG. 23