Updated Nov. 23 — Canada’s latest round of federal efforts to boost economic ties with the Indo-Pacific region will include its first dedicated agriculture and agri-food office in the region.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tour through the region last week included a pledge of $31.8 million over five years for a regional agriculture office, to be set up at an as-yet-unnamed location.
The new office is meant to “position Canada as a preferred agriculture and agri-food supplier to the region, strengthening trade on both sides of the Pacific,” the government said Friday in a release.
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The new agriculture office will be devoted to “engaging with stakeholders, regulators, and policy decision makers” and “deepen(ing) partnerships with Indo-Pacific partners to diversify export markets and products.”
The announcement comes as the feds work toward development of a comprehensive Indo-Pacific strategy — which was telegraphed in Global Affairs Canada’s departmental plan this spring, and which Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has said will be released before the end of this year. It’s expected that more details on the ag office will be announced after the overarching strategy is released.
In a joint statement, the Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada and Pulse Canada said they were “pleased to see” the support for an agriculture office, noting the Indo-Pacific region “represents a significant opportunity for Canada to diversify its agricultural exports while positively impacting global food security.”
Canada’s cereals, canola and pulse industries “enjoy a significant export share within the region and there are great opportunities,” the groups said, but “the rise of non-tariff barriers may prevent Canada from achieving its full potential in the region.”
Support for resources to deal with sanitary and phytosanitary issues in a “strategic, co-ordinated manner with industry” would help to build, and maintain, market access, they said.
“Nearly every day I get calls asking about Canadian soybeans, to resolve issues, or to do more promotion of our products in Indo-Pacific markets,” Brian Innes, executive director of Soy Canada, said Friday in a separate statement. “We’re ready to work arm in arm with our government partners to make today’s modest investment produce results.”
“It is important for Canada to have a proactive presence in the region to help address market assess barriers and increase Canadian beef exports by maintaining stable and open trade,” Canadian Cattle Association president Reg Schellenberg said of the proposed office in a separate release.
The Indo-Pacific region today takes about 20 per cent of Canada’s beef exports, the CCA said, listing Japan, mainland China, South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong as the region’s top five markets.
Funding initiatives Trudeau announced Friday in Bangkok also include $45 million over five years for “Modern Team Canada 3.0” minister-led trade missions; $92.5 million over five years for almost 60 new positions to “significantly expand” capacity at Canada’s missions in the region; and $13.5 million over five years to expand and diversify trade in Canadian natural resources.
“By opening new markets and opportunities for Canadian businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs, and attracting investment to Canada in sectors like clean energy that will define the global economy, we are building an economy that works for all Canadians,” Trudeau said in a statement.
The Bangkok visit, Trudeau’s first to Thailand as prime minister, was the third and final leg of a tour of the region which also included appearances at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit at Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
