Rainy weather on the Prairies cut into farm equipment sales in May, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.

The value of Canadian wholesale sales slipped 0.1 per cent to $44.1 billion, in part because of a steep decline in the agricultural supplies industry, the federal agency said.

Flooding affected not only Medicine Hat, Alta., above, but areas elsewhere in Alberta, as well as Saskatchewan and Manitoba this spring, cutting into wholesale sales of farm supplies. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

On a volume basis, sales were down 1.5 per cent, primarily because the Canadian dollar's slide against the U.S. currency increased prices paid by Canadian importers.

Sales in six of the seven subsectors surveyed actually rose, but that was more than offset in the West by lower farm demand for fertilizer and seed.

The largest increases in dollar terms were in the machinery, equipment and supplies category, where sales rose 1.9 per cent, and in food, beverage and tobacco, which were up 1.3 per cent.

Saskatchewan had the single steepest decline among the provinces, with sales off 12.3 per cent. That was the biggest drop the province has seen since March 2005.

Sales were down 9.1 per cent in Manitoba, its biggest drop in seven years. Alberta sales were off 0.7 per cent.

In Ontario, sales rose 0.4 per cent in May, the fourth increase this year. Quebec sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

With files from The Canadian Press