Saskatchewan posted record ex-port sales in 2012 on the strength of the agricultural and resource sectors.
Statistics Canada data shows the province exported more than $32.6 billion worth of products last year, up 10.3 percent from the previous year.
Of that, food, including crops and livestock, accounted for $11.2 billion, energy $11 billion and potash $6 billion. Manufactured products were worth $1 billion.
Premier Brad Wall said exports have tripled in the last 10 years.
“We see some of the numbers in particular are staggering,” he told reporters. “A doubling of trade with China in the last five or six years. We see similar progress in terms of Bangladesh and India and lots of growth in Indonesia.”
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He noted that Saskatchewan is now exporting more than British Columbia.
“Not bad for a province without any ports,” he said.
Agricultural exports have grown from $8.3 billion in 2010 to $10 billion in 2011 to $11.2 billion last year.
The United States remains the province’s main customer, and China, Japan, Indonesia and Mexico round out the top five.
However, there have been significant jumps in other offshore markets.
For example, sales to Iraq grew from $387,125 in 2003 to $133.3 million last year.
Wall highlighted the fact that 90 percent of the lentils that Bangladesh imports come from 18,000 Saskatchewan pulse growers.
The high selenium content in Canadian lentils counteracts the naturally occurring high arsenic levels in Bangladesh.
“That’s a great story of our products,” he said. “They’re a food staple obviously, but they also have a bit of a health benefit there.”
Wall said high quality food is only part of the advantage that agriculture gives the province.
“It’s also about the short-line implement manufacturing that’s occurring here related directly to agriculture,” he said.
Brian Olson, president of Power Pin Inc., said 95 percent of the company’s drawbar hitches are exported. About 220,000 components were exported last year, and the value of those ex-ports was $14 million.
“We have 200 short liners using our implement hitches, and all the majors (equipment manufacturers) use our tractor hitches,” he said.
Asked what he thought of seeing his product all over the world, Olson said, “It’s a rush. Nothing can match the pride of seeing your product. Farmers might not know who we are, but they sure know our product.”
Power Pin employs 13 people at its Fort Qu’Appelle location.
