Saskatchewan Trade Office Opening Soon in Berlin
The province already has eight trade offices in different countries.
Premier Scott Moe is participating in a trade mission to India this week to promote Saskatchewan's vital mineral and natural resources. (File photo)
Saskatchewan's global economic and trade offensive continues. The province has indeed announced the forthcoming opening of a commercial office in Germany.
The decree to officially establish this 9th office was signed last month. As Germany is a manufacturing powerhouse and has the fourth largest economy in the world, the establishment of this office will provide exporters and investors with increased support to further explore business opportunities and increase the trade, says a provincial government spokesperson.
According to the government statement, the war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for safe and stable food and energy products, especially in the European Union.
Last March, Prime Minister Scott Moe visited Germany to discuss food and energy security. His trip ended in Kassel, where he visited Ukrainian refugees.
MP Terry Dennis, who is also Legislative Secretary and responsible for Saskatchewan Relations and Ukraine, traveled to Berlin with a delegation, a few weeks after Scott Moe.
Germany is a key member of the European Union, hosting many of Europe's leading trade fairs and exhibitions, such as AgriTechnica, a flagship sales-focused event for the manufacturing sector agriculture in Saskatchewan, adds the spokesperson.
The Government of Saskatchewan has rapidly accelerated the opening of its international trade offices in recent years. In 2010, the Shanghai, China office was the first to open. The 2022-23 budget for the eight existing offices and the establishment of the Berlin office is $12.4 million.
The government has said its offices have played a role in signing memorandums of understanding and intent with government departments in India and the United Arab Emirates as well as contracting for businesses in Saskatchewan.
Scott Moe is participating in a trade mission to India this week to promote strong ties between the two jurisdictions in areas such as the development of critical mineral and natural resources, agriculture and post-secondary education.
I'm excited to share Saskatchewan's innovative solutions with India and focus on the trade and investment opportunities that exist now and in the future.” said Scott Moe in a statement.
The government opened its trade office in New Delhi in 2021. Last year, Saskatchewan's exports to India reached $1.4 billion. The share of lentils from Saskatchewan accounts for 50% of these pulse imports into India. Agriculture Minister David Marit has just returned from a nine-day trip to Dubai and Mumbai.
Asked about Mr Moe's trip to India, Opposition Economics Critic Aleana Young criticized the government's economic record.
We definitely need to sell our story to the world, but hard-working Saskatchewan families deserve to see the results of all those Saskatchewan Party trips.
Based on the latest numbers published by the provincial government, the latter spent nearly $360,000 on out-of-province travel from January 1 to September 30, 2022.
Expenditures for trips to the Philippines, Vietnam, France and Germany in the fall and winter of 2022 have not yet been released.
The latest year of regular ministerial travel outside the province was in 2019. The government had spent over $460,000 by then.
Between 2021 and 2022, the government opened offices in Singapore, New Delhi (India), Tokyo (Japan), Mexico City (Mexico), Dubai (UAE), London (UK) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) .
