Profile of the agricultural and agri-food economy

Montreal, March 2006

Information for agribusiness entrepreneurs

There are rapid changes occurring in the agriculture and agri-food sector due to our moving world economic environment. Countries such as Brazil, China and India are changing the dynamics of supply and demand in agricultural products. It is therefore important for you to know the evolution and consequences of such changes within the years to come.

In this presentation, the Agriculture and Agri-food Sector, of the Banque Nationale is pleased to offer a selected series of slides (graphs, charts) that reveal the face of agriculture and agri-food on the planet. You will also find additional data on Canada, Ontario and Quebec.

Three types of information are presented:

• Progressive data, such as " The progression of world yields in primary cereals from 1970-2002 ";
• Time-based data, such as " The principal pork exporting countries for 2004 ";
• Forecast data, dealing mainly with cereal and meat price trends.

The information is divided into four categories:

• A general overview of the economy
  Do the agriculture and agri-food sectors behave in the same way as other sectors of the economy? What other economic factors have an influence on them?
• A portrait of agriculture
  How has the globalization of trade influenced the portrait of world agriculture?
• Animal production
  How has increased income available for food modified the demand for this protein source? What are the outcomes following the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in Canada, in may 2003?
• Cereal production
  How has genetic improvement influenced the spread of cereal production throughout the world?

Worldwide overview data

Canada, Ontario and Quebec data