b'the road ahead may includepower of new genetics and obstacles, it is through resil- plant breeding in mitigatingCANADA OPENS AN INDO-PACIFIC TRADE OFFICE ience and strategic foresightsuch market volatility. SeedAS IT SEIZES A GENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITYthat retailers can navigate theemerges as one of the few tumultuous waters of interna- inputs that can actually help tional trade.farmers to be more profitableCanadas commitment to fostering stronger ties in the Indo-Pacific region took amid economic uncertainty. a significant step forward last month with the opening of the Indo-Pacific Reasons for Optimism New seed varieties offerAgriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Philippines.Looking ahead to the 2025some hope amidst economicThe establishment of the IPAAO comes season, theres optimism thatturmoil you might say, Stampat an opportune time. At the CrossRoads input costs will rationalizesays, emphasizing the rela- Crop Conference in Calgary, Carlo Dade, more swiftly than in previ- tionship between innovation ous years, providing someand economic resilience. director of the Trade & Investment Centre respite for farmers. DespiteFor example, the adventfor the Canada West Foundation, said the ongoing bearish sentimentsof higher-protein varieties andIndo-Pacific region is important to Canada toward commodity prices,solid stem cultivars exempli- for several reasons. Indeed, the region the expectation is for a morefies the transformative poten- is crucial to the health of Canadas seed balanced cost environmenttial of genetic innovation,industry because:in the coming seasons, Tayloroffering farmers a competi- Its home to more than half of the says. Examining the relativetive edge in an unpredictable affordability of nitrogen fur- market landscape. worlds population and has a growing ther emphasizes the urgencyAs Stamp and his custom- demand for food security andCarlo Dade is trade and for cost reductions.ers grapple with the ebb andagricultural innovation. infrastructure director for Despite this, farm incomeflow of economic currents, thethe Canada West It offers a large and diverse market forFoundation.continues to decline, not keep- imperative of strategic plan- Canadian seed exports, especially for ing pace with falling commod- ning and adaptive resiliencecanola, wheat, barley, soybean, and pulses.ity prices. This trend has led toemerges as a recurrent theme. a weaker margin environment,Harnessing the power I ts a source of investment and collaboration for Canadian seed research and with farmers anticipatingof new genetics is not just adevelopment, as well as a partner in addressing common challenges such as significant decreases in netluxury but a necessity in anclimate change, pests, and diseases.farm income for the upcomingera defined by economic vola- This geographical pivot, encompassing Asia Pacific, presents a generational seasons. This could potentiallytility, Stamp adds. opportunity and challenge for Canada, Dade told the crowd. As consumer lead to demand destructionTaylor agrees.and pullbacks in investments. Seeds are the leastdemand burgeons globally, especially in emerging middle-class markets, the The energy complex playsdiscretionary inputs in farm- potential for agricultural exports grows exponentially.a significant role in globaling. Of course, seed isnt market dynamics, with fluc- just about the crop itself; its tuations in natural gas andalso a carrier of a vast array ON THE WEBcoal prices impacting theof technologies. From seedWHERE nitrogen and pesticide sec- treatments to gene editing to tors. However, recent trendsnew traits, seed serves as aWatch our full-length webinar on this topic! Visit seedworld.com/seeds-for-success-webinar.indicate a gradual decline inconduit for innovation in agri-production costs, offeringculture, Taylor adds. Its end-some hope for price relief inlessly fascinating to see how the future. seeds evolve and adapt, and I Despite the unpredict- believe they will remain a key ability of the markets, Stampvehicle for future agricultural extols the transformativetechnologies as well.SWENDORSED BY 74/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2024'