The federal government took another step yesterday toward establishing its Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Philippines, with the appointment of its first executive director.
Federal ag minister Lawrence MacAulay announced that Diedrah Kelly had been appointed to the post. Kelly is a long-time representative of Global Affairs Canada and recently was Canada’s consul general in Mumbai, India.
The IPAAO, a joint effort between Agriculture Agri-food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is part of a plan to “increase and diversify Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports to the Indo-Pacific,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a November 2022 news release announcing the initiative.
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“By engaging with stakeholders, regulators, and policy decision makers, it will deepen partnerships with Indo-Pacific partners to diversify export markets and products, create new opportunities, and position Canada as a long-term, reliable trading partner of choice for the Indo-Pacific,” the release said.
This June, then federal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the government had chosen Manila as the location for the IPAAO.
“The Philippines is an important partner under the Indo-Pacific Strategy. Hosting this new Office is an opportunity to build on our economic relationship, and enrich people-to-people ties,” Bibeau said in a news release.
