Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay highlighted his upcoming trade mission to Vietnam and India Wednesday at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture's Annual Meeting in Ottawa.

The trade mission will take place February 26 to March 10. The mission is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen and expand Canada’s trade relationships in the Asia-Pacific region.

“The Government of Canada firmly believes in the importance of trade, and the Asia-Pacific region is a priority market," said MacAulay. "By strengthening our global trade partnerships, the government aims to expand market access and identify export opportunities across the world, helping make our farmers more competitive at home and abroad, while growing our middle class.”

MacAulay will be meeting with his Vietnamese and Indian counterparts as well as industry representatives. He will be accompanied by a group of Canadian industry associations representing a variety of agriculture, agri-food and seafood sectors.

Canadian businesses exported more than $261 million in agricultural, agri-food and fish and seafood products to Vietnam in 2016 and more than $1.2 billion to India.