The pandemic has certainly had an impact on the economy, but there is still some reason for optimism.
Statistics Canada’s monthly merchandise export numbers show that Saskatchewan is ranked first among the provinces in both year-over-year and month-over-month exports.
Merchandise exports in Saskatchewan decreased by 7.7 per cent in April 2020 to $2.58 billion, compared to March of this year. Meanwhile, merchandise exports decreased by 8.2 per cent in April 2020, compared to April 2019.
In both cases, however, this is the smallest decrease among the provinces, on a seasonally adjusted basis.
In the first four months of 2020, merchandise exports in Saskatchewan increased by 0.7 per cent, compared to the same period in 2019. To compare, Canada saw a decline of 35.3 per cent year-over-year.
The province says farm and food products and the industrial machinery, equipment and parts sector have boosted export numbers.
“While it is not surprising that all Canadian provinces have seen a recent decrease in merchandise exports, it is also not surprising that Saskatchewan leads the nation with by far the strongest numbers this month,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a press release.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead to fully implement our Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, but these export numbers are another positive sign that our province is in a relatively good position compared to other jurisdictions as we move forward and ensure a strong economic recovery here in Saskatchewan.”
