On Tuesday, January 17th, DRC was invited as a guest speaker at the Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) annual trade representative seminar at Global Affairs Canada. The topic for this year’s seminar was “Food Safety Regulations and Certifications: Are they considered non-tariff barriers to trade for developing countries’ Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)?”. This topic is very relevant to almost all developing countries and one for which DRC provides support and facilitates trade. Trade representatives had previously shown an interest and requested more information on the subject. The audience for the event was comprised of trade representatives from developing countries, economic officers for high commissions and embassies, as well as, trade promotion agencies from both Ottawa and Montreal.
DRC Trading Assistance Manager, Jaime Bustamante, was on hand to represent DRC as a guest speaker. His presentation, “Commercial issues faced by countries when exporting to Canada”, was well received and strove to demystify some of the common issues being encountered by audience members. Patricia Rengifo Hidalgo Trade Specialist Office of Ecuador in Canada, Tammy Swicha, Director Food Safety Program Planning and Requirements CFIA, and CPMA’s Jane Proctor, Vice President, Policy & Issue Management, were also guest speakers. Canada Organic Association and Fairtrade Canada were also expected to participate on the panel discussion.
Issues that were addressed included the perspective of the developing country exporter, what are exporter limitations in accessing the Canadian market, an overview of the Canadian market for fresh fruits and vegetables, the importance of food safety from farm to fork, as well as highlights of Canadian regulatory framework as it relates to food safety.
If you are interested in DRC representation at an event or speaking engagement, please reach out to the DRC Help Desk at:
DRC Help Desk | 613-234-0982 | [email protected]
