We thank the committee for inviting Soy Canada to appear today.
I'll comment on Soy Canada for just a moment. We are a national association representing the full soybean value chain in Canada. Our members include producer associations representing all the farmers of soybeans across Canada, the seed development companies, soybean exporters, and soybean processors. Soy Canada facilitates industry co-operation and represents the industry on domestic and international issues affecting growth and development of the soybean industry.
The soybean sector in Canada is growing significantly. We are in our eighth straight consecutive year of soybean production growth. Between 2006 and 2016, soybean production increased by 82%, or 5.4 million acres. Since 2005, production levels have nearly doubled, to 6.2 million metric tonnes, and farm cash receipts in Canada are $2.3 billion. Finally, and significantly for the international trade area, since 2005, soybean exports have increased by roughly 250%. Canada has a small domestic market, and our growing production of soybeans is destined primarily for international markets.
Domestic use, processing, and export of Canadian soybeans contribute $5.6 billion to Canada's annual GDP and are linked to over 54,000 direct and indirect jobs. We are a growing segment of the agriculture industry, and further expansion is forecast in the coming years. This is why international trade is critical to our industry.
The TPP represents a huge opportunity for Canada. We know that TPP countries represent nearly 800 million potential customers and account for 40% of the world's GDP and 65% of Canada's $56 billion in agriculture and food trade.
In terms of soybeans, the total value of soybean exports to TPP countries reached close to $1 billion in 2015. The Asia-Pacific region encompasses a large segment of key soybean export markets, with roughly 40% of total Canadian exports shipped to TPP nations. Soybean trade with this region of the world is significant. The TPP provides a platform for our industry to access these growing markets and build on existing trade relationships with our importers.
All members of the soybean value chain—producers, processors, exporters, seed companies, and related companies—directly or indirectly stand to benefit from the TPP. The agreement provides a more secure and equal trade environment free from tariffs and free from administrative quotas on all soybeans and soybean products, which is a very significant development. Canada's participation in the agreement ensures that other oilseed-exporting nations do not have preferential access to TPP markets. Our industry will be better positioned to compete against other major soybean-producing nations, a major advantage for Canada when combined with the increase in demand throughout the Pacific Rim for high-quality Canadian soybeans.
The TPP also includes important provisions relating to biotechnology. As you know, innovation through the application of biotechnology to seed development has provided tremendous benefits to crop production. It is also a frequent contributor to trade disruption, in that the application of zero-tolerance regulatory frameworks and increasingly acute testing technologies in a world of increasing deployment of biotechnology is a recipe for trade challenges.
Recognizing this, policy-makers are looking for ways to better coordinate regulation internationally. The TPP establishes a working group to facilitate co-operation and information exchange on biotechnology issues, including low-level presence of genetically modified materials and the sharing of information related to plant breeding innovation.
To talk a bit about low-level presence, the TPP will establish a process collectively for managing cases of low-level presence should they occur. Low-level presence refers to the trace levels of GM materials that have been deemed safe through safety assessments in commodity grain shipments internationally. It's a very topical issue in the international grain trade as a result of the growing acreage and number of agriculture products being assisted by biotechnology methods. Canada has taken a leadership position in developing new regulatory approaches to managing LLP, and the inclusion of commitments to co-operation in the TPP is very welcome.
The TPP is a modern and comprehensive agreement and an important milestone in reforming international trade. Canada is a trading nation, and our grains and oilseeds sector is heavily reliant on international markets. In many commodities, while access to export markets is very important, we do not have the size and export might of competitive nations.
Soybeans are a good illustration of this. Despite the rapid growth of our sector, Canada represents only about 2% to 3% of production internationally. Our industry competes with the U.S. which produces about 39% of world soybeans, and Brazil is at about 37%. They are responsible for the vast majority of trade. It's critically important that we have fair trade rules that are even and equal, so that we can compete with larger participants.
Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to questions.