OTTAWA, ON - An agreement was reached for Canada’s Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and with it comes greater access for the fresh produce industry in the Asia-Pacific region. In response to the announcement, Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) President Ron Lemaire released a statement on the association’s behalf.

“The fresh produce industry sees tremendous opportunity in increasing its trade with members of the new CPTPP,” said Lemaire. “We thank the Government of Canada for their hard work on this historic agreement and look forward to working with Ministers François-Philippe Champagne and Lawrence MacAulay on furthering our market access in other new and emerging economies around the world.”

According to a press release, CPMA is applauding in particular the provisions found in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary chapter, as well as the gains made in market access to crucial economies such as Japan. The association noted that access to these large and emerging economies is crucial for growth of the Canadian produce industry, and that CPTPP will be integral in helping the Canadian government reach its goal of reaching $75 billion annually in agri-food exports by 2025.

CPMA will continue to monitor developments on this agreement to ensure the best interests of the produce industry are preserved.

Canadian Produce Marketing Association