The Downside Risks from Export Market Concentration: The Case of Canadian Canola
Farzana Shirin(a), William Ridley(b), and Guillaume Lhermie(a)
(a)University of Calgary, (bUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
JEL Codes: F13, Q17, F10
Keywords: biofuels policy, Canada, canola, China, trade retaliation
First Published Online: May 6, 2026
Abstract
Canada’s multi-billion-dollar canola industry faces headwinds from Chinese tariffs and uncertainty in Canada–US trade relations. We analyze the economic fallout of ongoing trade disputes and other current market and policy challenges facing Canadian canola, challenges which are also relevant for other export-reliant agricultural commodities facing trade retaliation.
References
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