Fifty billion dollars is a big number and it’s what Saskatchewan exported globally last year.
It’s also a sign of where Saskatchewan’s economy is sitting right now as a power player at the national and global market level.
Not only is that a big number, it is also a record, smashing the one set just a year earlier by a wide margin. Exporters generated revenues of $52 billion last year, a 40 per cent increase over the previous year’s sales of $37 billion, which is a key contributor to Saskatchewan leading the country in economic growth last year.
Potash took over as the primary foreign exchange generator for us, surpassing oil but even crude was up 50 per cent last year as the world continues to increase its appetite for petroleum products despite federal attempts to de-emphasize our importance as a supplier.
And rounding out the top three was agriculture, which continues to gain momentum this year. In the first quarter of this year, revenues hit $6 billion, which is 75 per cent ahead of the pace we were setting last year. Canola oil is the top agri-food export followed by canola seed and then wheat, durum and lentils.
