Saskatchewan was able to provide the world with much-needed products in 2019.
According to Statistics Canada preliminary trade data, the province exported almost $30 billion worth of products to international markets in 2019.
“The success of our economy depends on trade and these numbers are very encouraging, especially considering the market access issues in countries such as China,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a press release.
“Our government has made it a priority to diversify markets for our products through trade missions and international engagement and the result of these efforts is unprecedented market diversification in a relatively short period of time. We will continue working to grow our exports, as outlined in Saskatchewan’s Plan for Growth, to build a strong economy that creates more jobs for a strong Saskatchewan.”
The export markets include: the United States, China, The European Union, Japan, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite the strong numbers, overall exports were down slightly by three per cent. The government attributes this to trade actions by China, which resulted in a decline in exports of 32 per cent to that market.
Fortunately, decline in exports to China were partially offset by the growth in other emerging markets like Bangladesh (118 per cent increase), the EU (59 per cent), the UAE (40 per cent), India (23 per cent) and Brazil (13 per cent).
Among the top export products were crude oil, potash, wheat, pulse crops, canola oil, barley, oats, agricultural machinery, and refined petroleum.
