On May 9, Agriculture Canada released an overview of the country’s agri-food system, focusing on its impact on the economy, environment and exports.
Most of the data comes from 2014 and suggests that Canada’s agricultural and food sector is growing and relatively healthy.
The report features many nuggets of data, including:
- The agriculture and agri-food system generated $108.1 billion in 2014, representing 6.6 percent of Canada’s GDP.
- A large portion of that $108.1 billion was farm market receipts. Sales of grains, oilseeds, livestock and other commodities totaled $55.7 billion.
- Grains and oilseeds made up 35.5 percent of all farm receipts. Red meats made up 27.1 percent of farm market receipts in 2014, down from 30 percent in 2004.
- Canadian farmers set a record for profits in 2014. Net cash income was $14.2 billion, a whopping 32.5 percent higher than the average between 2009-2013.
- Beyond the farm gate, Canadian agri-food exports of raw and processed foods hit $51.5 billion, up 12 percent over 2013.
- More than 50 percent of exports went to the U.S. About nine percent was shipped to China. Japan, the EU and Mexico took approximately 17 percent.
- Canada is the world’s fifth largest exporter of farm and food products, but it also the sixth largest importer. In 2014 Canadians purchased $39.4 billion in imported food.
- Canada’s food and beverage industry is the largest of all manufacturing sectors in Canada, generating $27.7 billion in GDP.
- Canadians spent $195.7 billion on food, beverages and tobacco in 2014 .
- Canadians are spending less on food, in terms of total household expenditures, than they did in 1997. In 2013 food represented 10.1 percent of household spending.
- Government investment in agriculture and food is decreasing. Public spending on research and development in agriculture and agri-food has shrunk, as a share of gross farm receipts, since 2007.
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Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
