Perdue Travels to Canada for Trade Discussion

Sonny Perdue is in Canada today for his first international trip as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He calls the U.S.-Canada bilateral trade relationship important to the prosperity of both countries, saying before he left, “I look forward to strengthening the relationship with our neighbors to the north going forward.” Perdue will meet with Canada’s Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay and other Canadian officials to talk about a host of priority agricultural issues between the two countries. Both the U.S. and Canada are two of the world’s largest agricultural producers with a shared border, so each is an important market for the other’s agricultural products. In 2016, the U.S. exported $20.2 billion worth of agricultural products to Canada, which made Canada the second-largest market for the U.S. Over the same time frame, Canada exported $21 billion worth of agricultural products to the United States. As part of an effort to boost U.S. trade, Perdue will appear at an event in Toronto which will kick off a two-week event showcasing U.S. food and beverages.