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India one of the fastest-growing markets with provincial agri-food exports

Mar 6, 2024 | 10:53 AM

Volume of Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports to India has seen over a 71 per cent increase in 2023, when compared to 2022.

India is already one of the top global markets for the province’s agriculture producers, particularly when it comes to Saskatchewan’s largest pulse market. Exports of lentils and peas experienced significant growth by the end of last year. A press release from the Ministry of Agriculture said Saskatchewan’s total agri-food export volume to India ranked second in year-over-year growth among its markets, behind only Nigeria and head of Algeria, Indonesia, Peru and China. India ranked sixth among Saskatchewan’s agri-food export markets in terms of value for 2023 at $712 million.

“Our agriculture producers are among the best in the world at supplying safe, nutritious and sustainably grown products,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “With India being Saskatchewan’s fifth largest trading partner, we want to help our companies and producers remain profitable and competitive by reinforcing our global links with key trade partners in support of Saskatchewan’s long-term economic goals.”

The province had a 2030 Growth Plan target of $20 billion in agri-food exports, but total shipments already surpassed that with $20.2 billion for 2023. Overall, there was a 26 per cent increase in Saskatchewan’s total agri-food export volume in 2023 over the previous year.

Since 2013, Saskatchewan’s exports have grown by more than 52 per cent. The province also continues to strengthen and diversify its economic links with India beyond commodity trade. Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding was renewed to enhance academic collaboration with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, a bi-national educational organization with 194 member institutions including the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.

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