Wholesale activity rises in Canada

OTTAWA, July 18 (UPI) -- Wholesale activity in Canada rose 1.6 percent to $44.2 billion in May, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Taking price changes out of the equation, wholesale trades still rose 0.7 percent, the report said.

Canadian wholesale has risen in four of the past five months, with strong gains in agricultural chemical products. In May, agricultural products rose 9.5 percent in current dollar values to $6.4 billion.

Exports of fertilizer gained 57.7 percent in May compared with May 2007, the report said.

Farm products gained 7.3 percent to $474.6 million, the largest gain in two years, the report said.

Defined by geography, two provinces registered drops in the month. Wholesale activity fell in British Columbia by 1.3 percent. In Newfoundland and Labrador, activity fell by 0.4 percent.

Wholesale activity gained fastest in Saskatchewan, up 5.8 and in Alberta, up 4.7 percent, Statistics Canada said.