China's concessions on extra Canadian canola imports don't go far enough, industry leader JoAnne Buth has said, urging Ottowa to take further steps to reverse anti-disease curbs which threaten Can$1.3bn of trade.

Ms Buth, president of the Canola Council of Canada, welcomed plans by state-run Sinograin Oil to raise by up to 200,000 tonnes, to 350,000 tonnes, its imports of Canadian canola oil.

The extra purchases by the organisation responsible for China's grain and edible oil reserves "would be worth about Can$180m", she said, at the end of a four-day visit to the country by a Canadian delegation led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper

'Market closed'

 However, she warned over Beijing's refusal to revise a ban on imports of canola seed not certified free from blackleg, a fungal disease which can kill plants and is endemic in many producing countries, including Canada and China.

Canadian canola exports have "basically stopped" since the clampdown was introduced on November 15, a CCC spokesman told Agrimoney.com.

"The market is basically closed," he said.

China is the biggest importer of Canadian canola, buying 2.87m tonnes last year, worth $1.3bn.

Different strains

"We remain deeply concerned about the continuing quarantine on our canola seed," Ms Buth said,

"It is important that we continue to press China to take steps to resume their imports of seed."

The 10m tonnes of canola seed that Canada has exported to China over the last decade have not caused knock-on problems to farmers, the council says.

China has said that its blackleg strains are non-virulent, and pose less of a danger than the types found in Canada.