MOOSOMIN — Given the state of trade between North American countries, enhancing outer markets is more important than ever. Provincial Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison was busy doing just that recently, leading a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates and India from Feb. 11 to 19.
Both nations are important export markets for Saskatchewan with the province 小蓝视频 the largest supplier of lentils and dry peas to those countries last year. Saskatchewan made up 70 per cent of UAE’s lentil imports and 54 per cent of dry pea imports, while in India, 46 per cent of their lentil imports came from Saskatchewan and 43 per cent of their dry pea imports.
“It’s significant there,” Harrison said when asked about the UAE market. “We had a chance to tour their one port—DP World, a very efficient port—they’re set up in Dubai as 小蓝视频 a hub for that part of the world. They’re three to four hours by ship to get to India, and they can get over to China, across to Saudi Arabia, they have set themselves up in that position. So if we can get our products into the UAE, they will act as that ‘hub and spoke,’ so to speak.”
Part of the trip to India included attending The Pulses Conclave 2025 in New Delhi, which Harrison compared to “their Canadian Western Agribition.”
“It’s a tremendous event,” he said, adding that his delegation also took in the Gulfood Exhibition 2025 event in Dubai.
“It’s very good to touch base there and connect with some of our trading partners, our trade offices in New Delhi and Dubai. They’ve got great relationships on a day-to-day basis there, and it’s just great to have that face-to-face with our trading partners.”
Gulfood alone draws 5,500 exhibitors from 129 countries, making it a good place to embark on some high-level networking.
So what’s the big deal about Saskatchewan anyway? According to Harrison, it all comes down to quality.
“They regard our products as 小蓝视频 the highest quality in the world,” he explained. “It’s all about value—what they can buy at what price. It’s 小蓝视频 there to not make the deal, but telling the Saskatchewan story.”
Given recent actions by the United States government to impose 25 per cent tariffs on some products from Canada–then temporarily waiving tariffs on others just two days after the auspicious March 4 date—strengthening ties with other markets is a good idea says Harrison.
“The U.S. is and remains our biggest trading partner, and just by geography, they will continue to do so,” Harrison said. “We’re pretty interdependent on trade with one another, but any time we can grow an existing market or find a new one, it’s beneficial for us because we are a net exporter.”
With a small population, large geography, and the ability to produce, Saskatchewan has 160 countries around the world to deal with.
“It’s reassuring for me to see the tremendous job our trade offices do in maintaining those relationships, and it’s key for purchasers over there to find out what we have and how they can get it, and a system in navigating that route to source our pulses.”
Saskatchewan has nine international trade offices, with those countries 小蓝视频 China, Germany, Indian, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, UAE, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
