Farmers spend $1.8 billion on canola seed

 In 2023, the international market for seeds was worth US$53.5 billion, and about three per cent of that market is canola seed — that is, seeds sold to farmers for seeding.

The $53.5 billion number comes from Axel Diederichsen, who spoke in early December at Canola Week, a Canola Council of Canada event held in Saskatoon.

Diederichsen, who manages the national seed gene bank in Saskatoon, obtained that estimate from S&P Global Commodity Insights, a research firm.

Given the rate of inflation, that $53.5 billion figure has climbed higher in the last two years, possibly hitting $60 billion.

Focusing on Canada, the Western Producer has estimated that farmers bought $1.84 billion worth of canola seed in 2025.

That figure comes from the price per acre of seed and the acreage of canola in 2025.

Saskatchewan Agriculture, in its 2025 Crop Planning Guide, pegged the cost of canola seed at $87 per acre.

Data from Alberta Agriculture confirms that price is in the ballpark. In 2024, canola seed was selling for more than $800 per bag in Alberta. One bag covers about 10 acres, so the price was above $80 per acre.

The Western Producer used $85 per acre as the price to calculate annual sales of canola seed: