Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has completed the Japan and Singapore legs of an agri-food trade mission to south-east Asia, according to a statement published on Gov.ie.
Details
The trade mission showcased Ireland's vision for a food systems approach to the sustainable development of the sector, Food Vision 2030, according to the statement published on Gov.ie, which also noted that there was a wide range of engagements with commercial stakeholders in the Japanese and Singaporean markets and their Irish suppliers.
Statements
The statement published on Gov.ie quoted Minister McConalogue as saying, "Japan, Singapore and the wider south-east Asian are really important markets with educated and informed consumers. The markets are focused on securing high quality and safe food, a demand which matches the quality food produced on Irish family farmers.
"Ireland's relationships in the region are going from strength to strength. This trade mission has confirmed that the Irish agri-food sector is very well placed to meet the sophisticated needs of consumers in these markets. The quality and safety of our world class food products are in high demand, Irish exporters have made significant gains in recent years in both these markets, developing relationships and reputations with key stakeholders and there continue to be significant opportunities for Irish business in these high value markets.
"My department and Bord Bia are fully committed to continuing to build on the work achieved in this successful trade mission to support the sector in realising their ambition to grow the value of exports in the region."
Minister McConalogue was also quoted as saying, "I acknowledge the support on this trade mission of Ireland's new ambassador to Singapore, Sarah McGrath, her team in the embassy and the Bord Bia Singapore team.
"Team Ireland in both Tokyo and Singapore are working tirelessly to deliver positive outcomes for Ireland and their ongoing commitment to supporting Irish agri-food sector will play an important role in the sector’s efforts to fulfil their future growth ambition for the region."
Musgrave has signed a new partnership deal to supply over 400 products from its SuperValu Own Brand range to Singapore's premium grocery platform, RedMart, with Musgrave's partners, Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland being key facilitators in finalising the agreement, according to the statement published on Gov.ie, which quoted Bord Bia interim CEO Michael Murphy as saying, "We've already had huge success on this leg of the trade mission - launching Irish beef and lamb into retail in Singapore and we now welcome the news that Musgrave has a significant listing with this leading online grocery platform. Bord Bia is delighted to have helped facilitate this new listing for Musgrave, which gives Singapore consumers access to a huge range of fresh quality Irish food from a single consolidation point. We believe this opportunity will help to unlock further commercial opportunities for Irish food and drink companies in south-east Asia."
The statement published on Gov.ie added that the final leg of this trade mission is to Vietnam, and is being led by Minister of State with special responsibility for New Market Development Martin Heydon, who the Gov.ie statement quoted as saying, "I look forward to engaging in bilateral discussions with my Vietnamese government counterparts as we work to build on our existing markets and develop new opportunities for our sustainable food and drink offering. I will also be working closely with Enterprise Ireland to promote our innovative agri-tech industry with commercial partners in the region."
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