Premier to Promote Province's Food and Energy Strengths in Asia

Released on September 14, 2016

Premier Brad Wall leaves September 17 on a trade mission to South Korea and China aimed at showcasing and building on the province’s considerable global strengths in food, fuel and fertilizer.

The 11 day mission will include speaking engagements and meetings with government and business leaders in Seoul, South Korea and Qingdao, Beijing and Shanghai in China. This will be the first visit by a Saskatchewan premier to South Korea and Premier Wall’s third trip to China.

The mission coincides with a visit to South Korea and China of a Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP)-led delegation that includes 16 exporters and seven industry associations. The premier will also be joined at various meetings by representatives of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, Cereals Canada, the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

“Saskatchewan and Canada need to look to Asia if we want to keep growing our economies,” Wall said. “South Korea and China are major markets for us and for the Saskatchewan companies that supply food and energy products and expertise to the world.

“China is our second-largest export market and the world’s second-largest economy: we’re looking to expand on existing relationships there and explore new trade opportunities. We also see a bright future for our agricultural producers in the South Korea market, thanks to the preferred access they will get under the new Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement.”

Wall said he would be advocating for continued access to China’s multi-billion dollar agri-food market on behalf of Saskatchewan producers. He noted he will also be promoting opportunities to increase Saskatchewan uranium exports to China.

Saskatchewan’s overall exports to China have doubled in the last five years, reaching a value of $3.36 billion in 2015. Our exports to South Korea in 2015 were valued at $104 million, up from $86 million in 2014.

Highlights of the mission include:

A keynote address in Seoul at a luncheon hosted by the STEP and the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) plus meetings with major food and energy companies;
A keynote address in Qingdao at the STEP-organized Saskatchewan China Agricultural Trade Conference, plus a roundtable meeting with some of China’s top buyers of Saskatchewan products;
A speech and panel discussion with business leaders and decision-makers in Beijing on Saskatchewan’s world-renowned expertise in carbon capture and storage as part of the Canadian Embassy’s “Canada in Conversation” speakers’ series;
Eleven investment/economic development meetings with businesses and associations; and
Participation in an event Saskatchewan’s post-secondary institutions are holding in Beijing to celebrate the province’s educational linkages with China.

Wall added Saskatchewan has what Asia wants and needs in agriculture, energy, innovation and education and we need to further our efforts on behalf of our exporters and agricultural producers, as well as our research centres and post-secondary institutions.

Since 2010, overall Saskatchewan international exports are up by 38 per cent and $1.7 billion in specific investments in Saskatchewan.

“Since we began our export market diversification efforts, including trade missions, we have seen exports to China grow by 129 per cent and India by 155 per cent,” Wall said. “Obviously trade missions are not the reason for these outcomes, but exporters tell me they are important to continuing our export success, especially in Asia.”

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For more information, contact:

Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927

Premier to Promote Province's Food and Energy Strengths in Asia

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