WHOLESALE TRADE NUMBERS BEST IN CANADA

Good news for the Saskatchewan economy on the wholesale trade front according to a report released by Statistics Canada today.

The report states that Saskatchewan's wholesale trade increased by 18.4 per cent (seasonally adjusted) from December 2009 to January 2010. That was the highest increase among the provinces, and well above the national increase of only 3.0 per cent.

"The major increase in Saskatchewan's wholesale trade in January of 2010 was from the other products sector which usually refers to agricultural supplies like chemicals and fertilizers," Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. "This may be a good sign for the potash industry as it appears to be on the road to recovering from previous setbacks."

Saskatchewan (+18.4 per cent) registered the largest provincial gain in percentage terms. This growth was attributable to rising sales in the "other products" sector. This was the strongest increase in wholesale sales in Saskatchewan since July 1993.

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For more information, contact:

Deb Young
Enterprise Saskatchewan
Regina
Phone: 306-798-0503
Email: Deb.Young@enterprisesask.ca