Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau met with almost 2 dozen industry associations Monday to discuss a new Indo-Pacific agriculture and food office.

The federal government has committed 31.8 million dollars to increase and diversify farm exports to make Canada a preferred supplier to the Indo-Pacific region.

The farm and food industry groups outlined market priorities, trade goals and how the new federal trade office can support their businesses.

On Tuesday, the federal minister also was involved in a national global food security conference to get more feedback.

The Indo-Pacific area is the fastest growing economic region in the world, and Canada’s second largest regional export market after the U.S.

There is over 26 billion dollars in two-way farm trade, with Canadian exports worth 20 billion dollars alone.

Agriculture Canada says there are potential opportunities for Canada to grow market share with agri-food and seafood exports representing near 32 percent of Canada’s total merchandize exports to the Indo-Pacific region.

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