The Canadian Province of Saskatchewan opens office in Dubai to strengthen ties with the UAE

Dubai: The Canadian Province of Saskatchewan has opened a new Trade and Investment Office in Dubai to further strengthen its relation with the UAE and create new economic opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Ali Zeyoudi was the chief guest at the opening of the first international office opened by the Canadian Province in 2022. It was chosen for its strategic geographical location and status as leading trade and re-export hub for the wider region.

“This office will provide a major boost to the already strong ties between the UAE and Saskatchewan and ensure our relationship continues to grow,” Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison said at ceremony to mark the inauguration of office in Dubai. “We are so excited to be here in Dubai to showcase the incredible trade and investment opportunities in Saskatchewan,” he added.

Office location

Saskatchewan’s Trade and Investment office, which will be co-located with the Canadian Consulate in Dubai, will work to increase exports, attract investment to SK and strengthen SK’s relationship with its existing and new partners in the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).

“Although Saskatchewan’s relationship with the UAE has mostly been in agriculture, we share many common goals and interests, particularly in the energy sector. We see huge potential for cooperation in a number of areas to help the UAE meet its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 particularly through carbon capture, utilisation and storage; hydrogen production; the development of small modular nuclear reactors; and the supply of uranium,” added Minister Harrison.

Exports to UAE

In 2020, Saskatchewan’s total exports to the UAE reached an all-time high of $627.6 million, the highest among all Canadian provinces and a 52 per cent increase from 2019.

Jean-Philippe Linteau, Consul General of Canada in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said: “I am very pleased to see the opening of a Saskatchewan trade office in Dubai. This is the demonstration of the growing trade and investment relationship between the UAE and Canada. The UAE is an import partner and business hub for Canada in the MENA region.

Saskatchewan is the UAE’s largest supplier of canola seed and lentils. As the province’s sixth largest agri-food export market, the UAE is critically important to Saskatchewan.

Trade relationship

Saskatchewan’s Trade and Investment Office in Dubai will grow this trade relationship while also making the province’s expertise and leadership in agriculture biosciences and agri-food research more available to companies and governments in the UAE and MENA region to support their national food security goals.

Saskatchewan’s UAE office will facilitate cooperation and coordination beyond the agri-food industry in areas like energy, innovation, and sustainability.

The office will connect investors in the region with the programs, incentives and opportunities that make Saskatchewan one of the best places in the world to do business. Located in Western Canada, Saskatchewan is home to 189,000 square kilometres of some of the world’s most productive farmland, an area double the size of the UAE.

SK products

Saskatchewan produces some of the lowest carbon intensity energy and mining products anywhere in the world. Saskatchewan is the second-largest oil producer and third-largest gas producer in Canada and has been ranked as the most attractive Canadian jurisdiction for oil and gas investment. Saskatchewan is also the world’s largest potash producer, a leading uranium producer and has been rated as the third-most attractive area for mining in the world.

Saskatchewan is launching trade and investment offices in the UK, Vietnam and Mexico this year to complement offices that are already open in China, Japan, Singapore and India.

Highlights

Saskatchewan (SK) is one of the most trade-oriented provinces in Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is its important and valued trading partner.

In 2020, SK was Canada’s largest exporting province to the UAE with exports valued at C$627.6 million, a 52% increase from the previous year (C$412 million).

99% of SK’s exports to the UAE were agri-food products and top exports included canola seed (C$348 million), lentils (C$208 million), meslin wheat (C$26 million), durum wheat (C$22million) and peas (C$15.6 million).

SK was also the UAE’s largest supplier of canola seed (about 57% of imports) and lentils (about 91% of imports) in 2020.

With this vast, productive land base and a collaborative approach to crop development research, SK is playing an increasingly important role as a major food supplier to the world’s rapidly growing population.

SK is the world’s largest exporter of dry peas, lentils, durum wheat, mustard seed, canola, canary seed and oats.

As a global leader in agriculture biosciences and agri-food research, SK can help the UAE achieve its vision of becoming a world-leading hub for innovation-driven food security in the years to come.