The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, concluded a 4-day trade and relationship-building trip to Mexico to reinforce Canada's commitment to strengthen commercial ties and promote Canadian agriculture and agri-food.
Building off Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent trip to Mexico and the Canada-Mexico Action Plan, Minister MacDonald met with Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué where they discussed the importance of working collaboratively on mutual priorities with an emphasis on the resiliency of Canada-Mexico food supply chains, trade, food security and diversification.
While in Mexico City, Minister MacDonald delivered closing remarks at the Canada-Mexico Agribusiness Dialogue. The Minister reiterated Canada's commitment to continue working with industry to advance international trade ties and shared Canada's views on the importance of achieving more sustainable, resilient and diverse agriculture and agri-food systems.
The Minister, alongside Canada Beef, the Canadian Meat Council and JBS Foods participated in the official launch of Canadian beef products in 42 Costco Mexico stores. Minister MacDonald emphasized Canada's role as a reliable supplier of beef products and the nation's commitment to the Canada-Mexico trade relationship.
To conclude his outreach in Mexico City, Minister MacDonald met with Mexico's largest flour miller, Grupo Trimex, who is a valued and long-standing trade partner for Canada and the largest Mexican importer of Canadian wheat. Canada has exported 3.9 million metric tonnes of wheat worth CAD$ 1.5 billion to Mexico since January 2020. The company is expanding into Canadian oats and canola, with newly acquired facilities already processing products of Canadian origin. This relationship is a testament to Canada's reputation for high quality exports.
