VICTORIA – Statistics Canada’s latest international merchandise trade report brought continued positive news to British Columbia’s exporters and manufacturers, as more than $2.3 billion worth of domestic exports shipped internationally during November 2010. This is a 17% or $331-million increase compared with November 2009.
British Columbia’s year-to-date exports total $26.1 billion, a jump of nearly $3.2 billion or 14% over what was exported during the first 11 months of 2009. B.C.’s near 14% increase is well above the Canadian year-to-date increase of just over 11%.
“These latest export numbers from Statistics Canada confirm that 2010 has been an encouraging year for British Columbia’s exporters and that demand for our products is growing,” said Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Tourism, Trade, and Investment. “These export figures also reflect strong shipping increases that have been reported by B.C.’s ports.”
Over the first 11 months of 2010, outbound shipping tonnage from Port Metro Vancouver increased by more than 16% over the same period in 2009 while the Prince Rupert Port Authority reports their cargo tonnage destined to international markets increased by 28%.
Leading the way for British Columbia were exports of forestry products, which totaled nearly $7.8 billion over the first 11 months of 2010, up by 20% over 2009. Energy products were worth more than $7.1 billion, up by 17%. Industrial goods have recorded a 21% gain and are worth $5.3 billion; and exports of agricultural and fishing products total $2.2 billion, a 3% increase.
From January to November 2010, B.C.-origin exports to the United States increased by nearly 3%, to Japan by 18%, to Mainland China by 59%, to South Korea by more than 11%, and to Taiwan by 11%. Exports to India increased by almost 80%.
