Sask. touts significant growth in agri-food exports to India

Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports to India grew by more than 71 per cent in 2023.

That’s according to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry said the province’s agri-food exports to India added up to $712 million last year. Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports increased by 26 per cent in 2023 over the previous year, the ministry noted.

Agriculture Minister David Marit said the government is working to strengthen trade ties with India even further.

“With India being Saskatchewan’s fifth largest trading partner, we want to help our companies and producers remain profitable and competitive by reinforcing our global links with key trade partners in support of Saskatchewan’s long-term economic goals,” Marit said in a statement.

Premier Scott Moe embarked on a trade mission to India last month, though the trip came under criticism from the Saskatchewan NDP, which calculated that the province has spent more than $230,000 on travel to India since 2018, including a pair of trips in 2023.

According to the ministry, Saskatchewan has already passed the agri-food export goal of $20 billion set out in its 2030 Growth Plan, with the all of the province’s agri-food exports adding up to $20.2 billion in 2023. The hottest export commodities in agri-food for 2023 were non-durum wheat, canola seed, canola oil, lentils and canola meal.

Canada’s total exports to India were valued at over $5 billion in 2023, with Saskatchewan’s exports making up about a quarter of that total.

–with files from The Canadian Press