Maputo, Mozambique, 11 Aug – Three Mozambican agricultural firms are to export cashews and grapefruit to Canada, as part of efforts to define business opportunities for that North American country, a source linked to the process told Macauhub Friday.

The three companies are part of a group of farming producers who will travel to Canada next October to explore potential markets to place their products.

The misson is organized by the Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFOC), in collaboration with the Mozambique Export Promotion Institute (IPEX). It is based on a Canadian program that identified opportunities to export products “made in Mozambique”.

Early this year the Program for Building African Capacity for Trade (PACT) determined that cashews and grapefruit were viable products for the Canadian market.

The companies chosen to export those products are: Citrinos de Umbeluzi (grapefruit) and Miranda Industrial, Alexim and Madecaju (cashews).

The PACT is implemented by the TFOC and by the International Trade Center, a UN body, and is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) via its Canadian Fund for Africa.

In 2002 Canadian exports to Mozambique were on the order of 10 million euros (US$12.8 million), mainly aluminum products, used clothing and books. It imported only 150,000 euros (US$193,000) in fruit and cashews.

Despite this trade deficit, Mozambique is one of the nine countries where Canada has concentrated its efforts at international cooperation, with a 2005-2006 budget of nearly 30 million euros, double the figure for support to Mozambique in the 2001-2002 biennium.

The Mozambican mission due to visit Canada in the first week of October also includes representatives of industry and the Maputo government. Meetings are scheduled with Canadian and American importers, merchants, distributors, retailers and potential investors in Montreal, Toronto and Chicago (USA). (macauhub)