Saskatchewan has its eye on fast-growing Asian markets and a delegation of business, academic and community leaders is just concluding a trade mission designed to capture them.
Premier Lorne Calvert and about 40 others will return from Hong Kong, China, Japan and Kazakhstan Oct. 29 after more than 60 meetings to promote Saskatchewan agriculture, agricultural machinery, potash, energy, forestry, tourism, research and development and other industries.
China is Saskatchewan’s second-largest export market after the United States; Japan is third largest. Agricultural relationships with Kazakhstan are long-standing and continue to grow and industry minister Eric Cline was focusing on that country.
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“We need to expand our presence in those markets,” Calvert said during a news conference before leaving on the trip Oct. 17. “To be successful we need to be seen and keep being seen in those markets.”
Cec Werner, president of Regina’s CanMar Grain Products Ltd., said his company already ships its flax products to Japan and has been working to promote the crop’s health benefits in that country.
“They will be ordering more product from us,” he said.
Other agricultural companies on the trip included Canada Livestock Services, Farm Pure Global Inc., Hypor, Prairie Malt and Svalof Weibul.
In Tokyo, Calvert was scheduled to speak at a Canada Beef Export Federation event.
“Obviously we’ll be talking about the quality, the health status, the science and how our beef is fit for any market in the world,” he said. “It’s the best beef in the world.”
This is Calvert’s first trade trip to Asia and the first since he established Team Saskatchewan in May 2003 to draw investment to the province.
Calvert added that since U.S. protectionism continues to rise this is a good time to strengthen trade ties elsewhere.
