According to Canada’s Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) director general, Steven J. Tipman, Filipino exporters would benefit greatly from the “very strong” trade potential between both countries. Tipman said there is a hard demand in Canada for food (fresh and processed), furniture and garments.
“There are many reasons for you to consider Canada as a new export market for your product. Imports represent 31 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product and imports have been growing at five percent per year in the last five years,” Tipman told around 50 exporters who attended the seminar. This makes Canada the 11th largest import market in the world.
TFO, an office founded by the Canadian government, facilitates access to the Canadian marketplace and shares Canadian trade expertise for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. It offers free services for exporters to present their export offers to Canadian buyers and other forms of assistance.
The United States is the top trading partner of Canada, covering 54 percent of Canada’s imports.
Canada is the 14th biggest export market of the Philippines, covering 0.95 percent of the export market share. Top three trading partners include Japan, US, and China.
