Nova Scotia Premier Pushing Seafood In China
Premier Stephen McNeil was in Guangzhou, China yesterday, helping promote Nova Scotia seafood to the growing Asian market.
The Guangzhou promotion, which involved five seafood companies and Halifax-based JusNova Agriculture, included chef demonstrations, appetizers of Nova Scotia seafood and blueberry juice, business meetings and presentations to Chinese restaurant purchase managers, importers and distributors.
The event was in advance of the Seafood Expo Asia in Hong Kong later this month, which features 200 firms from more than 30 countries.
The Nova Scotia companies participating in both the Guangzhou event and Seafood Expo Asia are Gidney Fisheries Ltd., Centreville, Kings Co., NovaCan Live Seafood Inc., Arichat, Richmond Co., United Trans Ltd. of Halifax, Atlantic Canada Resources Ltd., Dartmouth and Ocean Pride Fisheries Ltd. of Lower Wedgeport, Yarmouth Co.
“Taking part in a premier-led event meant a lot to our company in terms of the level of significance and trust that is automatically bestowed upon us in the eyes of our Asian trading partners,” said Jules LeBlanc, president of Ocean Pride Fisheries Ltd. “Having the premier there generated a higher level of marketing and promotion then we would ordinarily have as a purely business-to-business event.”
According to figures from the government of Nova Scotia, Asia was the third largest export market for Nova Scotia seafood in 2014, accounting for 10 per cent of exports. Seafood exports to the region have increased from only $2 million in 1995 to $132 million in 2014.