Mission will begin in mid-November
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Jeff Leal, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Michael Chan, Minister of International Trade, are traveling to India from November 13-20 as part of Ontario’s first agri-food trade mission to the country.
With India home to the world’s second largest population and a rapidly growing economy, the provincial government feels this is the right time for Ontario to put its best foot forward in securing new agri-food trade opportunities.
“India is the world’s third-largest economy and represents a tremendous opportunity for Ontario’s agri-food sector in a market that is new to many of Ontario’s exporters,” Minister Leal said in a release. “By strengthening trading relationships between governments and businesses, and building on the relationships Ontario agri-food companies and businesses already have established, we can explore ways to attract new investment to the province and help Ontario’s agri-food sector compete globally.”
In 2015, Ontario and India traded approximately $2.5 billion worth of goods and with Ontario being a leader in agriculture, the door could be open for new relationships to be built.
“Ontario and India are natural partners in agriculture and food production, and I look forward to finding new opportunities where we can align Ontario technology, goods and services with the needs of the Indian market,” Minister Chan said in a release.
In 2015, ministers Leal and Chan completed a trade mission to China, where they secured deals totaling $8 million.