African swine fever is likely to reduce demand for grains and oilseeds over the next few years, said Chuck Magro, executive director of Nutrien Ltd, Canada’s largest potash producer and the second largest nitrogen fertilizer producer, on Thursday, May 16.

Speaking at the BMO Farm to Market conference in New York, he said agricultural markets would eventually recover from the effects of the disease, which killed most of the cattle in China.

The ASF outbreak highlighted the prospects for pork producers in countries not affected by the disease, such as the United States and Canada, but reduced international demand for crops such as corn and soybeans that feed pigs.

According to Chuck Magro, demand for grains and oilseeds has historically grown by an average of 1.8 percent.

“We think that swine flu will affect this growth rate. It takes time to grow livestock around the world. But the world needs this tool, so we think that demand for crops will recover over time, ”said the head of Canada’s largest potash producer.