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By Alice McFarlane

Economic impacts of cereal crop production

Canadian Cereals industry drives economic growth nation wide

Oct 26, 2023 | 4:03 PM

A new report provides detail of the economic impact of Canadian wheat, barley, durum, and oats in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

Cereals Canada chief executive officer Dean Dias said GlobalData investigated how each province or region contributes to the cereals industry.

“Canadian cereals have a positive impact coast to coast, by creating jobs, supporting families, and driving our country’s economic growth,” Dias said.

In addition to highlighting the economic impacts of each province, the reports also showed the regional differences that exist between them. While the bulk of grain production takes place in the west, later-stage processing, such as brewing and pasta production, takes place in the east.

Dias said it’s important to recognize how each province and region plays a role in the strength and success of our industry, whether its grain production, processing, or shipping.

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“As these reports demonstrate, the collaborative efforts within Canada’s cereal industry yield a substantial influence on the country’s economy,” he said.

Saskatchewan’s cereal grains industry contributes $17.3 billion of total economic impact to Canada’s economy. Of that, cereal grain farming generates $10.5 billion, and processing generates $3.2 billion.

In contrast, Ontario’s cereal grains industry had a total economic impact of $16.4 billion, nearly $15 billion comes from cereal grain processing, largely driven by wheat flour milling and processing, and $1.2 billion comes from cereal grain farming.

In British Columbia, processing, and logistics, including port activities and product delivery, account for 97 per cent of its cereal grains industry’s total economic impact of $3.5 billion. While on the opposite side of the country, the Maritimes’ cereals grain industry contributes $1.2 billion to Canada’s economy, largely from flour processing, flour milling, and brewing.

The cereals industry has a total economic impact of $68.8 billion in Canada which includes more than 370,000 Canadian jobs, and $27 billion in wages.

The GlobalData provincial economic impact reports can be found here.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW