Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart, along with agriculture industry representatives, lead a trade mission to the midwestern United States June 23-26, focused on advancing Saskatchewan grain and livestock interests in these markets.
"This mission provides a valuable opportunity to promote Saskatchewan as a leading exporter of agri-food products in the midwest, particularly in states such as Minnesota, Colorado and North Dakota," Stewart says. "We also want to promote Saskatchewan as a place to invest in agriculture and value-added processing."
Highlights of the trip include meetings with key agri-businesses in order to promote and strengthen business relationships and attract investment.
Stewart was to address more than 200 industry representatives from the midwest region under the theme - 'NAFTA after 20' and the increased benefits Canadian-U.S. trade integration has brought to the agriculture industry in both regions. Saskatchewan's agriculture industry in particular has benefitted from NAFTA, as agri-food exports from the province to the U.S. grew from $720 million in 1995 to $3.2 billion in 2012.
The Saskatchewan Plan for Growth includes goals to increase exports of agriculture products from $10 billion in 2011 to $15 billion by 2020, and promote investment in the province's value-added sector to take advantage of growing global demand for food, feed, fuel and fibre.
The Canada-U.S. trade relationship is especially strong in agriculture. In 2012, total two-way agriculture trade was almost $42 billion, and Canada is the top export market for 38 states. Trade between the two nations supports an estimated eight million American jobs. Saskatchewan exports more than half a billion dollars in agri-food products to the states of North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado.
