The Durum Summit is back ... February 1st

Organizers have been busy putting together this year's event following an unplanned break due to covid.

Canada is a key player in the world when it comes to durum.

Durum is mainly grown in southwest Saskatchewan and southeast Alberta with a few acres in Manitoba.

Fusarium issues with the crop in Manitoba caused a number of producers to switch to other crops.

On average, durum production is about 6 million tonnes in the prairies, last year producers brought in 5.4 million tonnes, the lowest level in over ten years.             

The crop is used mainly in pasta production and couscous and is key for many end use processors who like the quality of Canadian durum.

Robert Chapman says Alberta produces a little over a million acres, with between 4 1/2 to 5 million acres in Saskatchewan.

He notes over half of the durum production in Canada is about 200 kilometers of Swift Current.