Ten priority markets were the focus of the Federal Market Access Team for the period of April 2011 to June 2012. They were selected based on consultations with industry stakeholders, the provinces and territories, and an analysis of economic values and market potential.
Each priority market offers feasible, achievable, and substantial market access opportunities, with benefits across Canadian sectors and regions (recognizing that each sector and region has its own unique priorities and challenges).
In addition to the ten priority markets, the Federal Market Access Team also worked to re-open, maintain, and expand market access in line with the Government’s free trade agreements and negotiations, to ensure maximum gains and meaningful access from these initiatives, as well as in many other markets worldwide, where significant opportunities arise.
The ten priority markets include both established markets and emerging markets.
Established markets are mature markets with existing and successful networks of government and non-government contacts and mechanisms for dealing with market access issues. These markets are also defined by strong commercial ties with Canada. The established markets are: Taiwan, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States.
Emerging markets have high economic potential – gross domestic product (GDP) growth greater than 5% – but commonly present higher commercial risks for industry. The emerging markets are: China, India, Indonesia, and Russia.
For each priority market, this report provides a brief profile of the market and its importance to the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. It also summarizes the Team’s key market access achievements during the reporting period and identifies the major market access issues still to be addressed. In addition, five “success stories” provide a more in-depth look at the major accomplishments achieved through the efforts of the Federal Market Access Team in collaboration with industry and the provinces and territories.
