OTTAWA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Canadian farmers expect to plant more wheat, canola, corn, barley and soybeans in 2023, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday.
With seeding intentions from about 9,500 farmers nationwide, the national statistical agency said farmers anticipate planting 27 million acres of wheat in 2023, up 6.2 percent from the previous year.
If realized, national wheat area would be the highest it has been in more than two decades. An anticipated increase in area for wheat is possibly attributable to favourable prices and strong demand, the agency said.
According to the agency, canola area is expected to edge up 0.9 percent to 21.6 million acres in 2023, roughly in line with the five-year average while farmers anticipate planting 5.5 million acres of soybeans, up 4.5 percent from 2022.
Barley acreage is expected to increase 0.6 percent to 7.1 million acres and corn for grain up 2.8 percent to 3.7 million acres in 2023.
Farmers across Canada expect to plant fewer acres of pulse and special crops like lentil and dry peas in 2023, Statistics Canada said. ■
