Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office industry meeting

February 1, 2023 - Ottawa, ON – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, met with representatives from 22 industry associations on January 30, 2023, to discuss the creation of the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO).

The IPAAO represents a $31.8 million investment under the federal government’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). During the meeting, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) discussed the office’s goals of increasing and diversifying Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports, positioning Canada as a preferred supplier to the region, and strengthening trade on both sides of the Pacific.

The industry representatives shared their perspectives on market priorities for the region, their international trade goals, and their input on how the new office can successfully support their businesses. Feedback gathered will help inform the early-stage planning and implementation of the IPAAO initiative.

The stakeholders reacted positively to AAFC’s announcement of the IPS and the IPAAO, reiterating that the move is in lockstep with the agriculture industry’s longstanding requests for a dedicated agriculture and agri-food office in the Indo-Pacific region.

Monday’s meeting builds upon the broader IPS announcement and the Minister’s previous engagement in December 2022. AAFC and the CFIA will continue to engage with key stakeholders to advance Canada’s interests in this dynamic region. In addition to Monday’s engagement, the Minister participated in a national global food security conference on January 31, where she gathered further feedback from stakeholders. 

Quick facts

• The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing economic region of the world, and Canada’s second-largest regional export market and trading partner (after the United States), with $226 billion in annual two-way merchandise trade, and $26.5 billion in two-way agricultural trade in 2021.
• In 2021, Canada’s agri-food and seafood exports to the Indo-Pacific were worth $20.1 billion. Comparing 2016 to 2021, Canada’s agri-food and seafood exports to countries in the Indo-Pacific have increased by 21.1%.
• There are potential opportunities for Canada to grow its market share. Last year, agri-food and seafood exports represented nearly 31.7% of Canada’s total merchandise exports to the Indo-Pacific region, being ranked as the largest sector for merchandise exports.