Canada sees canola harvest to be 9pc smaller on reduced plantings.

Canadian farmers expect to harvest 9 percent less canola due to reduced plantings, according to a government report released on Wednesday amid a diplomatic dispute between Canada and China, the top importer of the crop.

The dispute, centered on the arrest of a Chinese executive in Canada and China's decision to detain two Canadians, has curbed canola export sales since early this year and weakened prices just as farmers were deciding what to plant this spring...