By Alice McFarlane

Saskatchewan leads the country in growth of overall export sales

Feb 9, 2021 | 3:25 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Saskatchewan exported a record number of agricultural products in 2020 despite problems brought on by the pandemic.

Agriculture minister David Marit said exports were just under $17 billion which is a 31 per cent increase over 2019.

“We’re excited to see those export numbers and it tells the story of the importance of agriculture, not only to the economy of Saskatchewan but the economy of Canada as a whole,” he said.

Marit said canola is leading the way with canola oil, canola meal and processed oats top value-added exports.

“(Canola) exports are in the neighbourhood of $3.6 billion. Then non-durum wheat is right there again at just under $3 billion and lentils are well over $2 billion,” he said.

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Marit added while the global COVID-19 pandemic hit all economies hard worldwide, Saskatchewan export numbers were a strong sign the province is in a good position for economic recovery in 2021.

“We are bucking the trend because the world needs what we have, high-quality food,” Marit said. “Countries around the world are seeing that and are coming here and are looking for our product because they know what we do.”

The top markets for Saskatchewan agri-food exports last year were United States, China, Japan, India, and Mexico.

Saskatchewan is Canada’s second-largest agri-food exporter.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF