FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2020, Ottawa, ON – Canada’s fertilizer industry overcame rail disruptions and COVID-19 to ensure Canadian farmers had all the crop nutrients they needed for planting this spring, new Statistics Canada data shows.
The industry not only delivered on its commitments to farmers, but based on cumulative data reported by Statistics Canada, fertilizer shipments of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer reached record levels in Canada in 2020. Shipments of potash and sulphur were steady, down only slightly from near record levels, for the year ended June 30. Many farmers are now predicting bumper crops this fall.
“The fertilizer industry is a reliable sector that will remain well-positioned for success provided that the supply chain, our stakeholders and governments continue working together to ensure disruption-free access to fertilizer for our grower customers,” said Garth Whyte, President and CEO at Fertilizer Canada. “Nothing makes our industry happier than a successful growing season for farmers.”
As Canada begins to recover from the global COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian fertilizer is essential for the secure and reliable growth of food in Canada and around the world. It provides nutrients that crops need for growing and for our economy to keep thriving. A successful harvest this fall will be critical to Canada’s long-term goal of recovery, following a year of considerable uncertainty due to the global pandemic. The fertilizer industry also had to work overtime to recover from a rail strike in late 2019 and blockades in early 2020.
“The fertilizer industry takes our role in feeding the world seriously. It’s in everyone’s interest to have a successful harvest this fall and to be prepared for spring planting in 2021,” said Whyte. “To do that, we must invest in the critical infrastructure to maintain our global competitiveness, especially as we look to uncertain weather in the coming winter months.”
Fertilizer Canada continues to engage with both federal and provincial governments to maintain our status as an essential service. Governments must continue to provide the necessary flexibility to ensure the delivery of fertilizer, which is not only critical for a successful planting season, but for key inputs to our manufacturing processes.
Canadian shipments, based on nutrient content, reached record highs of 2.672 million tonnes of nitrogen, up two percent from the year before, and 1.137 million tonnes of phosphorus, marginally higher than 2018-19. The industry shipped 410,000 nutrient tonnes of potassium (potash) and 353,000 tonnes of sulphur. All data is available on the Statistics Canada website.