A report from Farm Credit Canada, authored by economist Graeme Crosbie, indicates an uptick in Canada's dependency on imported food. Since the beginning of the 21st century, domestically produced food has decreased from 80% to 70% of the total consumed in 2015. Contrarily, the report highlights a decrease in the reliance on imported fresh vegetables and fruits. Specifically, nectarine imports dropped significantly, from covering 20% to less than 5% of consumption, attributed to a 60% boost in Canadian production and a decrease in consumption.
Furthermore, Canada's import rates for certain products are notably high, with figures showing imports of potatoes, nectarines, and celery at four, almost four, and 3.5 times their respective consumption levels. Other vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, asparagus, beans, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower are imported at rates two to three times their consumption. Fruits like apricots, blueberries, cherries, and peaches are imported at approximately double the consumption rate. Meanwhile, around half of the onions, apples, and corn consumed in Canada are imported.
On the export front, Canada exports more than it consumes in several categories, including peppers, radishes, white potatoes, cranberries, cucumbers, and mushrooms. Notably, cucumber exports are double the local consumption, and mushroom exports match the domestic consumption levels. However, Canadian production has seen a decline in certain areas, with a 35% reduction in parsnips and turnips, 18% in peaches and carrots, and 16% in corn. Lesser declines, under 10%, were observed in the production of beans, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, and apples.
Source: moosejawtoday.com