Growing Your Business: Exporting Your Product
Why Export?
In 2002, Alberta exported $5.1 billion of primary and processed agri-food products worldwide.
Due to severe drought conditions, lower exports were recorded for both value added and primary products in 2002. Nevertheless, the proportion of value added exports as a percentage of Alberta's total agri-food exports grew from 52 per cent last year to approximately 58 percent in 2002. At the same time, the proportion of primary products fell from 48 per cent to 42 percent in 2002.
Global market opportunities offer Alberta the potential to substantially increase its agri-food processing sector to $20 billion in value of shipments by 2010. Key drivers of growth for the agri-food sector as a whole include:
- Increased global trade through liberalization of trade agreements and development of new markets
- Increased demand for consumer-oriented, value-added agri-food products
- Increased emphasis on food safety and quality assurance
- Changes to the domestic regulatory framework
Given the shift in demographics and consumer concerns within developed markets in the U.S., Asia, and the EU, there are significant future agri-food opportunities in products capable of enhancing and maintaining health such as functional foods and nutraceuticals.
With the advent of the U.S. Farm Bill, new opportunities in the areas of niche products, branded and private label markets will emerge.
In the non-food/industrial area, accelerated growth will be enhanced as research is carried out in bio-lubricants, composite materials, and bio-diesel. Export market access gains will potentially translate into higher packaged and processed beef and pork sales in the U.S. and Japan.
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