Madam Speaker, this is the first time I have risen in the House this session and I would like to thank all the people in the Bay of Quinte for relying on me to represent them here in Ottawa.
Our government fully recognizes that the uncertainty of China's trade environment has impacted our canola and soybean industries. We remain committed to working in close collaboration with the provincial governments, industry and Canadian farmers to restore full market access for Canadian canola seed and predictable trade solutions for soybeans to China. The government knows that China is an important market for the Canadian soybean sector. At this time, there are no official technical market access restrictions for Canadian soybeans to China. However, we recognize that the agriculture sector remains vulnerable to non-tariff trade barriers impacting exports to China.
Canada has a dedicated agriculture team at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, working on market access issues and market development efforts. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working closely with the embassy to address trade issues and advance Canadian agricultural interests in China. The Government of Canada continues to increase efforts to advance Canada's trade interest in China, including the appointment of Dominic Barton as Canada's ambassador to China. He is working on the ground and is committed to the long-term viability of the sector.
As for canola, regaining full market access for Canadian canola seed to China remains a top priority for our government. Canada continues to engage with China on multiple fronts to resolve this important issue, including through technical discussions and senior official dialogue with Chinese authorities. We have also engaged China through formal consultation through the World Trade Organization. At the same time, the Government of Canada is delivering financial supports to producers through the enhancements made under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's advance payments program and the extension of the repayment periods on cash advances for eligible producers. The increase in the interest-free limit for 2019 canola advances has allowed close to 6,120 producers to receive more than $1.43 billion in interest-free advances, providing them with the added flexibility to manage their farm operations and explore new market opportunities.
The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is also working with her colleagues across Canada to review our business risk management programs, starting with the AgriStability program, to ensure they are helping producers manage the weather and market risks they face. We also remain focused on working with industry to undertake market diversification efforts to give Canadian exporters access to more markets, while reducing the risk associated with market closures. We recognize the importance of diversifying our trade to ensure Canadian farmers have access to new markets as we keep growing our exports in order to reach the ambitious target to grow our agriculture and food exports to $75 billion by 2025.
We remain committed to supporting the agriculture sector by maximizing emerging market opportunities and advancing Canada's agricultural interests in all export markets, including China.