Bunge Limited’s BG pending merger with Viterra has been approved by the government of Canada. The approval, however, comes with terms and conditions to protect competition, encourage investment and secure economic benefits for Canada.

Canada on Tuesday approved with conditions U.S. grains merchant Bunge's $34 billion merger with Glencore-backed Viterra, clearing one of the final remaining obstacles for a global agriculture tie-up that is unprecedented in dollar value.

The conditions and terms attached to the federal approval of Bunge Ltd.’s US$8.2-billion acquisition of Viterra Ltd. are “woefully inadequate” to address the profound impact on the market, Grain Growers of Canada’s executive director says.

Among the conditions, Canada is calling on Bunge to divest six grain elevators in Western Canada to maintain competitive balance for farmers in the region, as well as to retain Viterra’s head office in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, for at least five years to help “protect Canadian jobs.”

The National Farmers Union denounced the approval of the Bunge-Viterra merger in a statement released on Jan. 17. The NFU said the multi-billion dollar deal “effectively ends competition in Canada’s agricultural commodity sector,