The Inland Terminal Association of Canada [ITAC] held it’s Annual Convention last week in Saskatoon and navigating new fiscal realities was the common theme for them.
ITAC promotes the interests of its five farmer-owned facilities including four in Saskatchewan.
The group’s Executive Director Kevin Hursh says things are changing.
"The NAFTA negotiations and the uncertainty of it, and an unpredictable U.S. president is one thing, and that has a lot of ramifications together with other things on everything," he said. "From interest rates to the Canadian exchange rate, to a bunch of other factors as well."
Hursh added that potential agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership holds a lot of potential.
"Those Asian Pacific markets are very important to a large number of our communities," Hursh said. "A great deal of growth is expected and there are some tariff barriers that a multilateral trade agreement could tear down."
He says the overall message from the presentations is that things seem to be steady as she goes in the grain sector of Agriculture.
He notes some concerning issues for producers that are out of their control are trade and tariffs.
Source : Discoverestevan