The Canadian province of Alberta is keen to develop business links with Bangladesh’s agro-food companies.
Senior Director of the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Department Grant Winton on Tuesday said the province was “proud” of its production of “premium” food products.
Speaking at a seminar in Dhaka, he said he looked forward to developing business links with the key players in Bangladesh’s agro-food industry.
Canadian High Commission in Dhaka organised the seminar, styled “Bangladesh – an Emerging Market for Alberta’s Agriculture and AgriFood Products”.
High Commissioner Heather Cruden also spoke at the seminar held in a hotel. She particularly mentioned ‘Canola oil’, which, she said, was considered the world’s “healthiest oil” for the heart, as certified by the US FDA and Health Canada.
“It is also a source of high-quality feed and bio-fuel feedstock. Bangladesh can import Canadian canola seed to produce the oil locally,” she said.
Besides canola, she said, Canada was one of the world’s top three wheat exporters, and the world’s largest producer of high-protein milling wheat.
“Canada is a leader in innovation in agricultural commodities, which is also of benefit to Bangladesh,” she said.
The two-way trade between Canada and Bangladesh is worth nearly Canadian $2 billion with Bangladeshi exports amounting to over $ 1.2 billion.
Bangladesh mostly exports clothes and imports wheat and lentils, according to the Canadian High Commission.
President of the Canadian Chamber (CanCham) Bangladesh Masudur Rahman, and President of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mohammad Shahjahan Khan were present among others at the seminar.
Source: Bd news24