Minister Fast Signs Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and José Adonis Lavaire, Minister of Industry and Commerce for Honduras, today signed the Canada-Honduras Free Trade Agreement. Parallel agreements on labour cooperation and environmental cooperation were also signed ...

In addition to the trade agreement news, the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that, effective immediately, the Harper government has secured full market access for Canada’s world-class beef and pork exports…

The restored access for beef and pork is estimated by industry experts to have a combined market value of approximately $5 million to $7 million annually, with the majority of exports expected to be pork. This access will generate significant benefits and new opportunities for Canadian exporters...

The Canada-Honduras free trade agreement includes provisions on market access for goods, cross-border trade in services, investment and government procurement. Once the agreement is fully implemented, over 98 percent of tariff lines will be duty-free. Key sectors that will benefit immediately from better market access include beef, pork, potato products, vegetable oils and grain products, as well as a range of processed food products.

Canada and Honduras have a healthy and growing commercial relationship. The latest numbers show 46 percent growth in merchandise trade between the two countries since 2007. In 2012, Canada’s exports of goods to Honduras totalled $38.6 million, $3.3 million of which was agricultural goods…

For more information, please visit http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/honduras/index.aspx?lang=eng.

This has been excerpted from 5 November 2013 news release by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.