Canada produces a significant portion of the world’s grains and legumes and Agrocorp Canada facilitates a large percentage of those exports. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, the firm is a fully owned subsidiary of Agrocorp International Pte., a global trading house based in Singapore, with a long history of purchasing Canadian grains, oilseeds and specialty crops, and marketing them throughout the world. The group’s Canadian operation includes four locations. Outside of Agrocorp Canada’s head office in Vancouver, the business boasts processing plants and offices in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and Innisfail and Falher, Alberta.
In the 2000s, Colin Topham, Agrocorp Canada’s Managing Director, was working for IT&T Trading, a Canadian company that exported Canadian special crops to buyers in Asia, including Agrocorp International. When the financial crisis hit in 2008 and the Principals of the company decided to retire, IT & T merged with Agrocorp in 2009.
“We constructed a facility from the ground up on a greenfield site in Saskatchewan which opened in 2013,” says Kevin Price, Senior Manager. “It is a state-of-the-art, high-speed loading and cleaning facility – built with CN Rail’s support, alongside a CN Railway site.” “Since Agrocorp Processing- Moose Jaw’s opening, we have also acquired two plants in Alberta that we have been working with since we were IT & T,” says Price. Including their bulk vessel program, of which the majority is run out of Singapore, the company exports around 1.5 million metric tons of diverse agri-food and agricultural commodities out of Canada annually. Globally, Agrocorp International handles in excess of 3.5 million tons of agri-food and agricultural commodities per year, including over 1.2 million MT of grains, 650,000 MT Pulses, and 200,000 MT oilseeds.
Agrocorp Canada’s customers include some local Canadian millers and food distributors. However, the majority of Agrocorp Canada’s products are shipped overseas to buyers in India, China and Turkey, as well as in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Middle East, Columbia, Brazil and North Africa.
“Canada has really become a bread and protein basket for the world’s growing populations, making up around 60 percent of the world’s export market in commodities like peas and lentils,” adds Colin Topham. “Most Canadians don’t realize that Canada is the second largest pulse producing country in the world.” Most buyers are repeat customers and Agrocorp strives to build and maintain strong relationships with them.
The commodities market is notoriously brutal. The day-to-day volatility of crop pricing can make it tough to balance a business, especially on an international scale. “That volatility is something we deal with every day.” says Price. “With our global presence, we’ve got a good perspective on where markets are heading and where risks lie.” In addition, Agrocorp works to lock in pricing early on in the season in order to maintain consistency of expenses.
Despite these challenges, Agrocorp is growing. Demand is rising in most markets across the globe and with its highly experienced logistics team, solid quality controls, strong partnerships with suppliers and customers, and firm backing from the rail lines, provinces, Canadian government, and its parent company, Agrocorp continues to pick up market share.
Along the way, continued investment in training, technology, and improving efficiency and quality controls remain priorities for the business. By maintaining a solid supply chain and working closely with customers, suppliers, and all supply chain partners, Agrocorp International remains a leader in the Canadian pulse and wheat export market.