Saskatchewan's Agri-Food Exports Play Key Role In 2021

Saskatchewan reporting another strong year for exports in 2021, valued at $37.1 billion.

Agriculture exports accounted for about half of that total at $17.5 billion, setting another new record for agricultural exports for the province, an increase of almost seven per cent over the record set in 2020 of $16.4 billion.

In 2021, Saskatchewan exported more than $2.6 billion in each of the key crop product sectors - cereal grains, oilseeds, pulses and edible oils.

Compared to 2020, canola oil saw an increase of over 50 per cent, with exports to the United States increasing 72 per cent from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion. Canola oil to South Korea also experienced a dramatic increase of 106 per cent from $71 million to $146 million.

Overall, the Province's leading agri-food export commodities continue to be canola seed, canola oil, non-durum wheat, lentils, durum and dry peas, with top international market destinations including the United States, China, Japan and Mexico.

Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison says our growing export base is creating economic opportunity, good jobs and generating investment for communities across the province.

Saskatchewan has grown its agricultural exports by more than 56 per cent since 2012.

The province's ongoing international market expansion plans continue with the establishment of new trade offices planned for the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Vietnam, that's in addition to our current locations in Japan, India, China and Singapore.

Agriculture Minister David Marit says Saskatchewan's agriculture industry is, and has always been, a significant part of our economy - with an impact that extends far beyond our provincial borders.

"Our producers have fed the world for generations, and we continue to enable the innovation necessary to keep feeding the world's growing population, expected to be 10 billion people by 2050. These export figures prove once again that we're up to that challenge and well on the way to meeting the future goals we've set."

The value-added processing and agriculture sectors are major components of Saskatchewan's Growth Plan goals, which include increasing crop production to 45 million tonnes, agriculture exports to $20 billion, and value-added revenue to $10 billion by the end of this decade.