Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press A canola field is seen here in Carseland, Alta., on July 21, 2019. Canada is the world's top supplier of canola.

BEIJING — China has agreed to allow imports of Canadian canola to resume, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, lifting a ban in place since March 2019 that had halted $2 billion worth of trade.

The agreement was reached during a call held by China’s customs administration and Canada’s farm ministry on Tuesday, said the sources who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

China’s General Administration of Customs could not be reached for comment after office hours. The office of Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move to allow imports to resume comes as China’s oilseed processors struggle with the lowest soybean stocks since at least 2010, and as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts the global supply chain of farm produce.

Canola, like soybeans, is crushed into protein-rich meal for animal feed and Canada is the world’s top supplier.