GUELPH, ON – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers sees today’s announcement of loan programs and delayed repayment deadlines for farmers as the first step of many that will needed to support farmers and help keep Canada’s food system functional.
Today, the government announced loans for farmers to help with the issues stemming from COVID-19, including an increase to the lending capacity of Farm Credit Canada and additional time to pay back existing advanced payment loans.
“A loan program can only be the first step in support from the government for Ontario’s grain farmers, who are already carrying large amounts of debt. More debt is not the answer and will not help farmers continue to have viable businesses and maintain food production,” said Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario.
On Friday, in collaboration with provincial and national farm groups, Grain Farmers of Ontario asked for additional support.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Our provincial and federal government need to move quickly on these asks. We need to stabilize the agri-food economy and industry and ensure our food system’s functionality,” Haerle continued.
Source : GFO