'Filled to the rafters': Summerside soybean shipment good news for farmers and port

P.E.I. soybeans are headed to market this fall via ship.

Two shipments from Summerside, P.E.I., more than 22,000 tonnes of soybeans in total, will be transported to a port in Quebec, then transferred to a larger ship heading to China.

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"We've been wanting to do something local for a long time, this port was available this year and we were able to put things together," said Neil Campbell, general manager of P.E.I. Grain Elevator Corporation, which helped arrange the deal with exporter Richardson International.

In the past, P.E.I. soybeans would be transported off-Island by truck, over the ferry or the bridge. Most would head to Halifax or Quebec before being exported.

Boost the bottom line

The Grain Elevator Corporation hopes shipping the soybeans directly from P.E.I. will boost the farmers' bottom line.

"By doing this locally, we're saving some dollars on transportation costs and handling costs from other ports," said Campbell.

"Hopefully we'll be able to pass that on to the farmers here and they can get better dollars for their product."

The two shiploads, including the one currently being loaded, will carry the equivalent of 360 tractor trailers worth of soybeans. The shipments are valued at around $5.5million each.

"All that money is here on the Island and it's good for everybody," added Campbell.

Going global

David Mol has been growing soybeans in Winsloe, P.E.I., since 1976, and now plants more than sevenhundred acres a year, mainly for export.

He thinks the Summerside shipments are a "great opportunity" to reach a global marketplace.

"We've been sending trade missions both provincially and nationally and when you tackle any markets like that, whether it's beans or potatoes or anything, you have to do it on a bigger scale," said Mol.

"What Neil is doing with these boatloads is helping us move in that direction."

Economic spinoffs

The soybean shipments are also good news for the Summerside Port Corporation, which collectsport fees from the ships.

The shipments are also an opportunity for the corporation to showcase the port's potential.

"We're utilizing our building to the fullest," said president Arnold Croken.

"Our building is filled to the rafters for the first time since we've taken over the port and that has always been our hope that we could get there."

And, said Croken, there are other economic spinoffs.

"For us it means a lot of activity downtown in Summerside," said Croken.

The shipments are also providing work for the stevedore crew on the dock, and for truckers bringing the soybeans to be loaded.

Soybean prices strong

There were about 50,000 acres of soybeans planted this year, about 45,000 metric tonnes. The two shiploads leaving Summerside represent about half of this year's crop.

Campbell says soybean prices are strong this year, making the shipments even more valuable to the Island economy.

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