Canada ships seeds to Ukraine to help hard-pressed farmers targeted by Russia
Canada ships seeds to Ukraine to help hard-pressed farmers targeted by Russia
OTTAWA -
Canada is sending seeds to Ukraine, including fast-growing buckwheat, to help out with a food crisis sparked by the Russian invasion, says Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Ukraine, like Canada, is one of the world's biggest exporters of wheat and supplies many countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the UN World Food Program.
Ukraine's government has asked Canada to send seeds as well as testing equipment to certify grain being transported by rail through Europe. Russia has blockaded Ukraine's ports, including Odesa, and Ukraine's silos are bursting with grain from its last harvest, which it cannot export.
Buckwheat, used to make soba noodles, has a shorter growing season than wheat, making it easier to cultivate for Ukraine's hard-pressed farmers.
Bibeau said Canada is also shipping mobile silos to Ukraine to store grain.
"This is a kind of storage that can be installed very quickly," Bibeau said in an interview on Friday.
Bibeau said Canadian farmers "want to step up" to help alleviate the world food shortage stemming from the invasion.
She said the government and Canada's grain producers are "all hands on deck" to get as much grain to developing countries facing hunger as they can.
Canada's grain growers are well aware of the global food shortages following the Russian invasion, she said, and are "really trying their best to produce more."
"If we compare it to last year, which was a very bad year because of the drought, we hope to have about 44 per cent more production this year," Bibeau said.
Katie Ward, president of the National Farmers Union, said Canadian farmers are fully aware of world shortages and there is already "a real push to grow every acre they can get under cultivation."
At a press conference on Monday, Bibeau launched a consultation on how to address staff shortages in Canada's agricultural industry, including family farms.
She said Ukrainian farming families fleeing to Canada would be welcome in its agricultural sector, which has many similarities to Ukraine's.
The World Food Program has been warning for months that many countries that rely on Ukrainian wheat are facing starvation because of shortages.
Earlier this month, Mykola Solskyi, Ukraine's agrarian policy minister, told a House of Commons committee that Russia's military has been deliberately targeting Ukraine's grain stores. He also accused Russia of stealing Ukrainian grain and exporting it as Russian to Syria.
Putin's forces have also placed mines in some Ukrainian fields and have bombed food storage facilities.
Last week, in the Ukrainian port Mykolaiv, a vegetable oil storage facility owned by Canadian-Dutch company Viterra was hit by a Russian missile strike, though no one was killed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2022.
Get in touch
Do you have any questions about the attack on Ukraine? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
Please include your name, location, and contact information if you are willing to speak to a journalist with CTV News.
The Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the search warrant the FBI received before searching the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.
A widespread power outage in Toronto causing major disruptions in the city was likely caused by a large crane striking a high-voltage transmission line, officials say.
A national tracking system for health-care workers, with information on what training they have, where they're located and what their career plans are, would make a 'significant difference' in addressing future staffing challenges, the president of the Canadian Medical Association says.
After a series of interest rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada, housing markets are now facing a 'significant' correction. CTVNews.ca spoke to Canadians who are now struggling to make the goal of purchasing a home, or selling one, a reality.
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
A Canadian Armed Forces veteran has been charged with murder in connection to a mass shooting in Belize that left two people dead and eight others injured.
A study out of the United Kingdom’s University of Leeds reports women who don’t eat meat are 33 per cent more likely to break their hips later in life.
In 2002, the owners of the mill in Dryden, Ont. started a project to reduce emissions, but workers on the construction project complain that they were exposed to toxic chemicals that damaged their health. CTV's W5 spoke with some of the workers about what they went through.
Experts say dangerous warning signs are missed in parents who could harm or kill their child. Up to 40 kids are killed this way each year in Canada. CTV W5 looks into why this is happening, and if there are ways to prevent it.
In its latest episode 'Putin's pals', W5 takes an in-depth look into who Russia's oligarchs are, and whether sanctioning them would stop President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in Ukraine.
Dawn Carisse went missing from the North Bay Psychiatric Hospital more than 2 decades ago. She vanished without a trace. Now a private investigator turned podcaster is finding new clues for her family.
Professional hockey player Tori Sullivan speaks out publicly for the first time to TSN and W5's Rick Westhead, about the trauma of an alleged campus sexual assault and her dismissal from Boston College's hockey team.
A widespread power outage in Toronto causing major disruptions in the city was likely caused by a large crane striking a high-voltage transmission line, officials say.
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
The commissioner leading the public inquiry into Ottawa's light rail transit system has received a three-month extension to finish the final report, pushing the deadline beyond the Oct. 24 municipal election.
Canadians for Affordable Energy President Dan McTeague says gas prices will increase eight cents a litre in Ottawa on Friday, bringing gas prices to $1.749 a litre.
A Barrie woman who chronicled her father's experiences during a Second World War battle led mostly by Canadian soldiers is preparing to go back to where it all happened to mark the anniversary.
The family of J.R. Smith, locked up in a Belize prison for nearly two weeks, is hoping the Canadian government steps up for the military veteran charged with murder in a mass shooting at a nightclub.
Ask people driving and walking in the area of the Erb St. West and Ira Needles Blvd. roundabout, and it’s not hard to find someone with concerns or the story of a close call.
An American teenager who was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Laval, Que. during a family vacation three months ago was finally released from hospital, but still isn't able to walk on his own.
A new study shows that religious minorities in Quebec, particularly women, feel less safe and less welcome in the social fabric of society since the adoption of the province's secularism law, commonly known as Bill 21.
A climatologist says the wildfires that have been burning for more than two weeks in central Newfoundland could be a sign of what's to come as the province feels the impacts of climate change.
Erin Creegan-Dougherty had 12 minutes to pitch her business to a panel of judges at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) Canadian national event in Halifax. She was one of eight student finalists chosen from thousands of applicants. Creegan-Dougherty finished third winning $15,000.
The Alberta NDP has demanded resignation letters from leaders of the province's status of women department, who awarded an essay that claimed 'women are not exactly equal to men' and suggested 'foreigners' are used to 'replace' Albertans.
The Edmonton Oilers shared memories of superfan Ben Stelter on Thursday. Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and head coach Jay Woodcroft held a virtual press conference to speak about the six-year-old.
Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark is endorsing Jean Charest to be the next leader of the federal Conservatives at a time when she says the party is running to the extremes.
Ontarians will not have to pay out of pocket for health-care services, the province's health minister said Thursday, a day after she came under fire for refusing to rule out further privatization in the system.
Doctors are among those calling for tighter regulation of sodium nitrite as a growing number of Canadians are dying after intentionally ingesting unsafe quantities of the common food preservative in its pure form.
A study out of the United Kingdom’s University of Leeds reports women who don’t eat meat are 33 per cent more likely to break their hips later in life.
As concerns about social media's harmful effects on teens continue to rise, platforms from Snapchat to TikTok to Instagram are bolting on new features they say will make their services safer and more age appropriate. But the changes rarely address the elephant in the the room -- the algorithms pushing endless content that can drag anyone, not just teens, into harmful rabbit holes.
Olivia Newton-John, the singer and 'Grease' star who died on Monday in the United States, will receive a state memorial service in Australia, Victorian state Premier Dan Andrews announced Thursday.
For lending the iconic melody from 'Vogue' to Beyonce's new 'Break My Soul' remix, Madonna received a new title: 'masterpiece genius,' bestowed upon her by Bey herself.
Canada's main stock index posted another day of triple-digit gains and U.S. markets were mixed Thursday against the backdrop of mounting evidence that inflation may be beginning to ease.
Canadians will soon be able to carry a piece of national music history in their wallets with the launch of a coin commemorating legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. The Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a one-dollar circulation coin Thursday honouring the late Montreal artist.
Workers at Metro Inc. are putting in overtime to keep stores open as the company grapples with an ongoing labour crunch, the Montreal-based grocery and drugstore retailer said Wednesday.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in South Carolina on Wednesday to begin what is expected to be at least a seven-day vacation with members of his family.
The unofficial mascot of Team New Brunswick -- who had been reported missing -- has finally arrived at the Canada Summer Games in Ontario's Niagara region.
The Edmonton Oilers say they are mourning the death of Ben Stelter, a six-year-old boy with cancer whom the team rallied around during their run to the Western Conference final.
Gasoline prices in the U.S. dipped to just under the US$4 mark for the first time in more than five months -- good news for consumers who are struggling with high prices for many other essentials.
Unifor is calling for a national auto strategy, and a dedicated federal government ministry to lead it, to capture the significant potential offered by the transition to electric vehicles.
Bolivia's decision to open an alternate route to its historic 'Death Road' - a serpentine dirt path across the towering Andes hills known for its deadly cliffs - has led to a resurgence of wildlife in the area, according to an environmental group.
