Question Period Note: Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office

Q1 – How will Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and the new Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) benefit Canadian farmers and stakeholders? Q2 – Why was Manila, Philippines chosen as the location of the Office? Q3 – Will Manila, Philippines be the only location? Q4 – How many people have been hired?

R.1 - The establishment of Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Office amplifies our presence in the Indo-Pacific region, and will help deepen relationships, foster new partnerships, and help Canadian farmers, food processors and exporters diversify their exports and maximize their business opportunities. R.2 - The decision to establish the office in Manila, the Philippines, was based on a number of factors, including space availability, transportation links in the region, access to highly skilled and available workforce, strong people-to-people ties, and shared bilateral values.

In addition, industry identified Manila as a market that holds promise in terms of agriculture and agri-food opportunities. R.3 - Manila is the hub of the Office, but the team will work in close partnership with other Government of Canada resources in the region. It is important to note that the team will be mobile – to be ready to move into other markets to take advantage of emerging opportunities or address market access issues as they are developing. R.4 - At this time six positions are staffed, four of the office resources are on the ground in Manila, including the Executive Director.Two additional staff are expected to be deployed this summer. Once fully staffed the Office will be a mobile team of nine employees. It is anticipated that the Office will be fully operational by end of the fiscal year.

The Government of Canada released the Indo-Pacific Strategy (“the Strategy”) last fall - a whole-of-government shift to Canada’s international approach with implications across all sectors. As part of the Strategy, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have a joint initiative of $31.8 million over five years, and $6.9 million ongoing, to establish an Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (the Office).

The Strategy was developed to position Canada to seize growing opportunities in the region by intensifying regional engagement and deepening diplomatic, security, economic, and sustainable development partnerships across five objectives:

• Promote peace, resilience and security;
• Expand trade, investment and supply chain resilience;
• Invest in and connect people;
• Build a sustainable and green future; and
• Canada as an active and engaged partner to the Indo-Pacific.

The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing economic region of the world and Canada’s largest regional export market. Agriculture and agri-food is a significant part of this trade, representing nearly a quarter of Canada’s global agriculture and food exports. In 2023, Canada’s total agriculture and food exports to the Indo-Pacific region reached $22.8 billion, over a 25.7% increase since 2019. Canada’s competitors such as China, Brazil, United States, Australia and the European Union are increasing their investments in not only marketing efforts but also in-market capacity, which has resulted in these players strengthening brand recognition and increasing market share in the region.

Through the Office, AAFC and CFIA are committed to advancing Canada’s agricultural interests by diversifying exports and increasing market share in established markets, while pursuing high growth emerging market opportunities, addressing market access issues and considering alternate markets for overexposed exports.

There has been ongoing engagement with industry, as well as provinces/territories and internal federal agency and departments on the operationalization of the Office. To date, stakeholders are enthusiastic about the initiative and look forward to continued engagement and future collaboration.

On February 21, 2024, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, joined Canadian stakeholders, government partners, and dignitaries to officially open Canada’s Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Phillipines.

• Under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office has been established to take a strategic regional lens for agricultural trade.
• The Office itself is located in the Embassy of Canada in Manila, Philippines and was given a regional mandate.We officially opened this Office on February 21, 2024, as part of a trade mission to the region.
• Four staff, including the Executive Director leading the Office, are already on the ground engaging with Government partners, industry stakeholders and foreign decision makers in the region to advance mutual trade objectives for the agriculture and agri-food sector.
• Efforts are well underway to have the Office fully staffed by the end of the fiscal year.