Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

Minister Bibeau on trade mission to the Philippines

Minister Bibeau on trade mission to the Philippines

The minister will tour processing facilities and meet with stakeholders about Canadian ag

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canada’s federal minister of agriculture is in the Philippines for a trade mission.

Marie-Claude Bibeau left Canada Friday for a multi-day trip that sees her meet with Filipino government officials and stakeholders from different agriculture and food industries and organizations.

Specific stops during her trip include a Tim Horton’s in Manila and touring the Philippine Foremost Milling Corporation, which uses Canadian wheat.

“Canada’s wheat quality is well known in Philippines! Today, I visited the Philippines Foremost Milling Corp. – one of the largest flour milling companies in the (country) that buys and uses (Canadian) wheat for flour production,” Bibeau posted on Twitter Monday.

In 2021, Canada exported $1.3 billion of goods to the Philippines, up from $899.4 million in 2020.

Canadian ag accounted for $390 million, or about 30 per cent, of total exports.

Top Canadian exports include meat and cereals.

“Increased exports of meat and wood played a key factor in the increase in total merchandise exports in 2021,” a Government of Canada fact sheet says.

The two countries are also negotiating free trade in the Canada-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) agreement.

Early in 2022, the Philippines lifted a temporary ban on Canadian beef.

Multiple countries placed bans on Canadian beef after a case of atypical BSE was found on an Alberta farm in December 2021.

As of 2019, the Philippines is Canada’s sixth largest market for pork, the Canadian Pork Council says.

That year, Canada exported $117 million of pork to the Philippines.


Trending Video

Dr. David Rosero: Fat Quality in Swine Diets

Video: Dr. David Rosero: Fat Quality in Swine Diets

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. David Rosero from Iowa State University explores the critical aspects of fat quality and oxidation in swine diets. He discusses how different types of lipids affect pig performance and provides actionable insights on managing lipid oxidation in feed mills. Don’t miss this episode—available on all major platforms.

Highlight quote: "Increasing levels of oxidized fats in swine diets reduced the efficiency of feed utilization, increased mortality, and led to more pigs being classified as culls, reducing the number of full-value pigs entering the finishing barns."

Meet the guest: Dr. David Rosero / davidrosero is an assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. His research program focuses on conducting applied research on swine nutrition and the practical application of smart farming. He previously served as the technical officer for The Hanor Company, overseeing nutrition, research, and innovation efforts.