Alberta’s Potato Sector Contribution to Its Economy Reached USD2.87bn in 2022

According to the current “The Alberta Potato Industry - Growing Success in 2022” report summary from the Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA), the industry’s total material contribution to the economies of Alberta and Canada is USD2.87bn.

“We knew our industry has seen accelerated growth in recent years, but we had no way of measuring its overall impact on our economy,” James Bareman, Chair of PGA, mentioned.

It also documents the creation of 9,390 full-time equivalent jobs, USD662m in employment income, USD1.33bn in GDP contribution, and USD87m in tax revenue to federal and provincial governments.

“We are pleased that we now have an accurate assessment of our industry’s contribution and delighted with the result. The industry could not have grown to this scale without the goodwill and collaboration of all parties – growers, processors, packers, the service sector, the scientific community, and governments. PGA warmly thanks all involved for their excellent contribution to growing our industry into the largest potato sector in Canada,” Bareman added.

Serecon Inc. and Nichols Applied Management, who have previously undertaken numerous similar economic impact evaluations, completed the study. They follow a methodology that is widely used to undertake economic impact evaluations all around the world by using a standard input/output economic inquiry. An additional review and approval of the study's methodology was provided by an impartial university economist.

“We wanted to ensure the study was accurate and the methodology was beyond reproach. That’s why we went to great lengths to ensure it was conducted in a manner that would pass rigorous external scrutiny,” Terence Hochstein, Executive Director of PGA, mentioned.

The size and expansion of the potato industry in Alberta are described in the report's first section. The second section investigates the industry's economic effects on Alberta's and Canada's overall economies. The study was created to give detailed graphic representations of the industry's scope and size. For usage in classrooms, a new set of relevant graphics is being created.