A whirlwind trip to Asia has given our farm management editor, Colleen Munro, some insight into the markets Canadians are eager to develop.
Japan, South Korea, China and Hong Kong were all ambitious targets pursued by the Canadian trade delegation Munro travelled with recently. The delegation included agriculture minister Ralph Goodale, Gov. Gen. Ramon Hnatyshyn and representatives from various other commodity groups.
But while the trade contingent worked to create interest or markets for Canadian food products, there was a reciprocal effort by the hosts.
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In China, Munro got to try firsthand some new culinary delicacies — or in her own words, “really weird food” — such as fried scorpions, deep fried pigeon and sea slugs that were “a little slimy.”
The trip was a learning experience for more than just the tastebuds.
Munro said the Asian countries are the fastest growing economies in the world. As they develop tastes for western foods, they could become important markets for Canadian products.
There is also the potential for them to become powerful food producers.
“Even though China has made great strides in agricultural reform, they have a long way to go. They work the fields by hand, by oxen, by donkey, by bullock … it’s hard to imagine them so backward yet producing so much food.”
She could only guess at what China would be like if the 900 million peasants, who currently work on plots of one-fifteenth of an acre, began to meet Canadian production standards.
Sending a reporter overseas on a trade mission involves expense and technical challenges in sending back stories — but Munro’s travelling experience will be invaluable to our newspaper and readers as Asia becomes one of the most important market regions in the next few years.
