In Ontario, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, has concluded his second mission to China where he helped secure new export opportunities for Canadian agricultural producers and processors. China is Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner and last year, Canada exported over $6 billion worth of agricultural, agri-food and seafood to China.
Over the 10-day mission, Minister MacAulay and a delegation of over 100 Canadian industry representatives from all 10 provinces visited the cities of Qingdao, Beijing and Shanghai. Minister MacAulay called on business leaders to work towards the goal of doubling trade between the two countries by 2025. Meetings were held with Chinese ministers, agriculture and agri-food businesses and exporters.
The Minister also attended two major tradeshows in Qingdao and Shanghai to help promote Canadian products. In terms of sales, industry representatives reported some $37 million in on-site sales and $230 million in anticipated sales over the next year.