The World is Getting Hungrier -and that's Good News for Canada's Agriculture Industry!

You’ve probably heard it before, but the numbers are worth repeating. The OECD Observer notes that the size of “the global middle class” ... at breakneck speed. In fact the number of people fitting into the middle class is expected to increase from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2020, and up to 4.9 billion by 2030. Over that period of time Asia’s share of middle-class consumption will more than double from 23% to 59%.

No surprise: Appetites Grow with Incomes

It makes sense that a rise in incomes brings with it a rise in appetites, not just in food but for pretty much everything. But while Asian demand for luxury goods may be fettered by global economic decline, demand for food is much less elastic. Want proof? Over the latest economic downturn Canada’s food exports to emerging markets has grown from a mere 14% of agricultural exports in 2002 to over 30% today, according to a recent video released by the Export Development Canada’s (EDC) to.... Now with global growth set to pick up steam, analysts are expecting Canada’s agricultural exports to make significant gains.

Exports to China Account for 1/3 of Canada’s Agricultural Sector

Mr. Hall also notes that with 40 million people in China being vaulted into the middle class each year, exports to the country have been increasing by approximately 16% each year, and growth will continue to accelerate in years to come. Nonetheless, that’s not to understate the growth being seen in other emerging markets as well. In fact, statistics shared by the EDC list the next ten emerging markets (including Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam among others), all showing double-digit increases in imports of agricultural goods from Canada.

Canada’s Agri-Food Sector Receive Boost from EDC and the Fed

The EDC pegs Canada’s primary and processed food exports at 11% of the total goods leaving Canada each year. As a nation that is consistently a net exporter of food, the Federal government and Export Development Canada (EDC) has targeted the sector for a number of support programs to help small to mid-sized businesses reap the benefits of trends in emerging markets including China; making Canada’s agricultural sector of greater interest to business owners and investors.

Free Webinar: Learn More about Government Funding Programs for Agriculture and Agri-Food

If you are an established small to mid-sized business that has been incorporated for more than 2 years, with more than 15 employees you are invited to attend a Free Government Funding for Agriculture and Agri-Food Webinar, presented by Mentor Works.

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Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Depopulation could destabilize food systems

It’s difficult to argue that climate change isn’t the most pressing threat to our agri-food sector. Farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and transporters have all been forced to adapt in real time to extreme weather events, shifting growing seasons and volatile conditions. From droughts to floods to wildfires, climate change has tested the resilience of every link in the food supply chain. Yet, for all the challenges the sector has faced – and will continue to face – due to climate pressures, it has managed to cope reasonably well. Investments in technology, new crop varieties, smarter logistics and infrastructure upgrades have helped absorb many of the shocks. But there is another looming threat – quieter, slower, and far more difficult to reverse – that few in the industry appear prepared for: depopulation. At its core, the food industry is built on one assumption: that there will always be more mouths to feed. Growth in population has long been a proxy for market growth.

Labour shortages create dragnet for agri-food

Canadian agriculture and agri-food consistently punch above their weight. Agriculture and agri-food contribute $111 billion per year – more than $30 million per day – to the Canadian economy, or over six per cent of our GDP. However, there are still more than 16,000 job vacancies on Canadian farms, and this labour crisis is resulting in avoidable financial strain. With that considered, you would think that smoothing out the regulatory red tape – especially on access to labour for farmers – should be highest priority for federal and provincial governments when the shortage is both critical and chronic, proven with many years of data and evidence. When COVID-19 challenged supply chains, action was taken to secure our food supply, but this level of urgency and priority for the sector appears to have come to an end. Producers and workers need new solutions Agriculture is theoretically prioritized in the immigration regulations, but it continues to be squeezed by on all sides. Agriculture

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