Cereals Canada celebrates 50 years

An event was held Tuesday in Winnipeg to mark the 50th anniversary of Cereals Canada.

Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau was on-hand along with several international customers of Canadian wheat.

“For half a century, Cereals Canada has supported the value chain by working with both government and stakeholders to provide timely, expert technical information, and to deliver a best-in-class customer experience,” said Cereals Canada CEO Dean Dias.

Headquartered in downtown Winnipeg, the organization was founded in 1972 as the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI), a not-for-profit institute providing pre-market and in-market technical support for the Canadian grain sector. In 2020, CIGI merged with Cereals Canada, a collaboration of partners from all sectors of the cereals value chain dedicated to enhancing the domestic and international competitiveness of the Canadian cereals industries. 

Operating under the name Cereals Canada since 2020, the organization supports the Canadian cereals value chain, including farmers, exporters, developers, processors, and customers around the world, focusing on trade, science, and sustainability. 

“Since the birth of this organization, we have analyzed the grain from 50 harvests, and more than 51,000 people from over 55 countries have attended one or more of our courses, webinars, training programs, and in-country seminars, held here in Winnipeg and around the world,” said Dias. 

With a global reputation for quality and consistency, Canada ships wheat, barley and oats around the world to over 84 countries, returning $9.9 billion annually of export revenue to the economy.  

“Canada is known internationally for its high-quality wheat and cereals grown on over 52,000 farms across the country,” said Bibeau. “This is thanks in part to the work by Cereals Canada over the last 50 years to represent the cereal grains value chain and the expert technical information they have provided our international customers. Looking to the future, the Government of Canada is committed to strengthening our relationship so we can continue to feed Canadians and a growing population.” 

“Canadian agriculture, Cereals Canada, and our government have an important role to play in supporting countries and their food security,” added Dias. “Through science, innovation, market access, customer training, and the entire value chain working together, we can continue to grow safe, reliable, quality wheat, barley and oats.”