Canada is the one of the largest producer of high quality grain and oilseed crops in the world. Through their production, our farmers have a major impact on national GDP. There are multiplier effects; these are realized through the purchase of agricultural inputs like fuel and fertilizer and outputs related to the handling, marketing, exportation, and processing of raw and value added products throughout the entire supply chain.
Gross farm receipts from the sale of grain over the past five years have averaged $25 billion annually. 2015/16 total exports are expected to exceed 40,293,000 metric tonnes. This represents over 51 % of total Canadian grain and oilseed production. The value added contribution from grain handling, marketing, export, and processing adds billions of dollars in economic activity. The outlook for Canadian agriculture including grain and oilseeds is excellent given the projected increases in world population and income.
While there are periodic transportation difficulties exacerbated by occasional crop production surges and a rail system that is taxed when forced to deal with ever increasing bulk handling of raw products such as oil, Canadian farmers and the grain sector are well-positioned to capitalize on this projected growth.