Investment Monitor 2023: Agriculture and Agri-Food: The Expanding Role of Canadian Companies in the Indo-Pacific

Dec 07, 2023

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is pleased to present its final Investment Monitor Report of 2023: Agriculture and Agri-Food: The Expanding Role of Canadian Companies in the Indo-Pacific, which examines developments in Canada-Asia investment in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

In 2022, the Government of Canada identified agriculture and agri-food as a priority sector for Canada-Asia relations and committed, through its Indo-Pacific Strategy, C$31.8M over the next five years to help expand Canada’s agricultural trade with the region. To take stock of our agriculture investment ties with the Asia Pacific, this report reviews two-way agriculture investment trends at the national and sub-national levels, analyzes the role of specific sectors, identifies top-performing companies, and charts an outlook for the sector in the coming year.

The report finds that over the past 20 years, two-way investment in agriculture has been dominated by Canadian investors abroad, with Australia being the main beneficiary of Canada’s agriculture investment, accounting for more than 88% of Canada’s investment in this sector across the region.

Looking at inward investment, Japan, China, and Thailand were the largest Asia Pacific investors in Canada’s agriculture sector from 2003 to 2022. At the subnational level, Asia’s investors have made the largest investments in agriculture and agri-food in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.