China – with 1.3 billion mouths to feed – will soon be the world’s largest importer of food. Quebec, including the agri-food exports to China jumped 300% in three years, should take the opportunity to achieve growth. But there are many pitfalls before making his fortune in the Middle Kingdom, noted La Presse.
“China is no longer the country that produces as the world consumes, launches boldly Michael Zhu, president of Ja-e supermarket in Shanghai. China will become the largest consumer in the world. ”
Having made a fortune by exporting garden furniture manufactured in factories in his country, Mr. Zhu wants to take advantage of the new appetite for his fellow citizens. The businessman imports of food and goods from around the world, China. “We want the volume, the volume and volume, says he came to Canadian entrepreneurs to meet, on a beautiful November morning. The middle class in China will soon have more people than the U.S. population as a whole. ”
Second largest economy in the world, China is the most populous country with 1.3 billion mouths to feed daily. “Only in Shanghai, there are 23 million people, said Henry Deng, Trade Commissioner Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai, in a bus that crosses the economic capital of China. We have a great opportunity, that of their Canadian food supply. ”
Already, Canada’s agri-food exports to China reached $ 2.7 billion in 2010. This is four times more than four years ago. But it is a tiny portion (4.18%) of all food imports from China, wants to see Ottawa grow. “As a North American country, Canada could become a major supplier of food products from China,” said Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in a study published in July.
Quebec wants its share of the pie. “The agri-food sector in China is the subject of priorities for us,” said Daniel Dignard, Director of the Quebec office in Beijing. By far the province, with just $ 112 million of food products were shipped home in China in 2010. But again, the increase is impressive: 300% in three years.
Increased interest in Quebec
Already, “Quebec’s agri-food exports reached 150 to 200 million for the first 10 months of 2011, said Dignard. For Quebec companies, China is becoming a must. They must be there now. This market is growing rapidly. We feel we are living a historic moment. ”
“There has been much interest in China when it was to open, said Stephane Legros, coordinator of external markets in Québec Food Processing (TRANSAQ). Then the sector has cooled a bit, noting that the legislation, culture and business networks were not necessarily developed at the time. We feel a resurgence of interest in recent months, maybe a year and a half. ”
Filled with New Zealand milk, biscuits and jams American French, chic supermarkets in Shanghai and Beijing allow to see that others have been faster. “Unquestionably, it is time for our food companies in Canada and Quebec to think how to exploit the Chinese market, observes Zhan Su, Chair Stephen A. Jarislowsky in International Business Management from Laval University. Over the last 10 years, the production value of the food industry in China has experienced a growth rate of over 20% per year. But the needs are still enormous, and this, especially for Western products. ”
Duo Li, Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition of the renowned University of Zhejiang, is not convinced. “China is self-sufficient, he assures. We can feed 1.4 billion people without any problems. “First of all to cultivate good relations with other countries that China imports of food commodities, he said.
The Chinese want to take advantage of our resources
Big advantage in our food: it is not mere food. This is the “Western Food”, popular in Chinese cities, where the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut are omnipresent. “The middle class is becoming richer and has an appetite for Western products, confirms Nicolas Moisan, export adviser Food Export Group Quebec-Canada, which recently conducted a Quebec delegation in China. Especially there have been several scandals involving Chinese food, as more and more people do not want to eat. All this opens many doors. ”
“I like foreign food because it is less polluted, told La Presse Qing Fang Zhu, Retired met at the food court FHC China in Shanghai. I more or less confidence in Chinese food. ”
Access to good food is a right, realize more and more Chinese. “Canada has a lot of resources, said Wang Yuzhou, president of Zhejiang Newland Foods Co, a leading exporter and importer of food in Hangzhou, a city of 8 million inhabitants. People in China must also be able to enjoy it. “
