Good evening.
Thank you to the committee members for inviting me here tonight.
The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance is a coalition of national organizations that advocate for a freer and fairer international trading environment for the agriculture and agri-food sector.
I will skip a few paragraphs for the time.
CAFTA members have established the following priorities for our work.
First is to open new markets for Canadian agri-food. This includes prioritizing trade liberalization discussions with growing emerging markets in the Indo-Pacific like Indonesia and ASEAN countries.
Second is to uphold the international rules-based trading system. A delegation of CAFTA members attended the WTO's recent ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi. We witnessed first-hand the challenges the system is facing, and we support Canada's efforts through the Ottawa Group to advance key priorities at the WTO.
Third is to strengthen trade diplomacy capacity and industry-government collaboration. We welcomed the opening of the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office in Manila, and CAFTA is co-chairing the industry working group that is ensuring alignment between government and stakeholders.
The Indo-Pacific region currently accounts for over one-third of the world's economic activity. In 2023, Canada's agriculture and agri-food exports to the region reached $22.8 billion. In 2021, Canada was ranked the seventh-largest agri-food and seafood supplier to China with values of $11.7 billion, or 3.5% of market share. China's top agri-food and seafood imports from Canada were canola seeds, canola oil and barley. China is our second-largest market for agri-food exports.
CAFTA strongly supported the opening of the Manila office because we believe Canadian business will benefit from more sustained Canadian engagement in the Indo-Pacific. Culturally, it is essential to have Canadian representatives on the ground to develop personal relationships. CAFTA members who travel regularly to the region have seen the need to have permanent representation on the ground. It is essential that the office have the technical expertise needed to manage relationships with local authorities to help prevent the emergence of non-tariff barriers that can keep Canadian product out of the market.
It's also important to note that our agri-food competitors are also very present in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. and Australia are particularly engaged, have strong infrastructure on the ground and have developed solid relationships with local buyers.
I wish to underline to committee members that exporting food responds not just to Canada's economic interest, but also to our national security interest of making important contributions to international peace and security.
Canada is the world's fifth-largest agri-food exporter. We're one of the few countries in the world producing enough food for ourselves while at the same time feeding others around the world. We contribute to international peace and stability by feeding the hungry, especially at a time of international instability when major grain producers are at war.
Canada also has a strong track record of not using food as a political weapon or banning agricultural exports. That helps make us a more reliable supplier to countries seeking greater food security.
In summary, it is in Canada's economic and national interest to increase our agri-food exports to the Indo-Pacific region. This will require a consistent, long-term investment to build commercial relationships with buyers and national authorities.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.