Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue TD will this week lead the first leg of an agri-food trade mission to Asia, covering Japan and Singapore.
Minister of State Martin Heydon TD, who has special responsibility for new market development, will lead the second leg of the trade mission, to Vietnam, next week. Japan and the South East Asia region are priority high-value growth markets for Irish food and drink exports.
Speaking ahead of the Trade Mission, Minister McConalogue stated, “I am delighted to lead this trade mission to Japan and Singapore as it represents a critical opportunity to further promote Ireland’s high quality, safe, and sustainably produced food and drink products in Japan, Singapore and the wider South East Asian premium markets.
“We have successfully opened and expanded market access for Irish beef and sheepmeat exports to Japan in recent years, and this trade mission provides us with another opportunity to promote these exports to Japan.”
“This is our third trade mission to the region since 2017 and I am excited to build on the great work that has been done before. My key focus is on opening and developing new markets that will grow our world-class food sector in order to deliver stronger returns to the farm families of Ireland who are the bedrock of our industry.”
“This Trade Mission will strengthen and build ties between Ireland and the region in relation to agri-food trade. It will raise awareness of Ireland’s sustainable food production systems and our commitment to supporting business-to-business relationships which can make a real difference to Irish food and drink exporters.”
“Bord Bia’s launch of its three-year regional strategy will be the focus of its part of the trade mission to Japan and South East Asia. Its new regional strategy outlines a target of €800 million in Irish food and drinks exports to South East Asia by 2025, led by the dairy and meat sectors.”
Total agri-food exports to Japan in 2021 amounted reached almost €180 million, a 20% increase when compared to 2020 and a 350% increase over the last decade, according to CSO trade statistics. Last year, dairy exports to Japan, mainly cheddar cheese, amounted to €66 million; with pigmeat exports at €50 million; and beef exports valued at over €28m. Fish (€16 million) and beverages (€10 million) are other important export categories.
Singapore is a critical regional hub in South East Asian supply chains. In Singapore, Minister McConalogue and Bord Bia CEO Michael Murphy will attend Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) trade show where 10 Irish companies are participating.
FHA is the largest trade event of its kind in the region attracting over 80,000 visitors. FHA will feature a Bord Bia pavilion aimed at building a reputation among trade media of the Irish food and drink industry.