Irelands agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue, is on a trade mission to increase food exports from Ireland to the South Asian region
Last year, the region is said to have purchased Irish food worth US$501.1mn. McConalogue sees this initiative as an excellent opportunity to boost Ireland’s reputation as a trustworthy supplier of quality food in the upcoming decades. In a report published by the Independent, he mentioned that the food authority, Bord Bia had plans to push Irish exports to nearly US$802.3mn in 3 years, with dairy and meat products taking the lead. He further laid emphasis on their marketing approach, which he assured would be based off produce which was both high-value and sustainable.
The previous year saw an increase in sales to Japan, with products such as pig meat, fish, beef and drinks totalling US$180.2mn. The Donegal TD pointed out that supply chain problems due to COVID-19 did not hamper Japan’s market progress, and was confident that further sales gains could be achieved. Moreover, out of all the regions on the trade list, Singapore which is believed to be a market hub is expected to play a crucial role in south Asia sales.
