Canadian Ambassador to Peru and Bolivia, Luis Marcotte, highlighted the opportunities the country offers in mining, banking and transportation.
Canada has approximately US$10 billion of investments in the mining sector, but if the banking and transportation sectors are taken into account, the capital reaches US$14 billion, announced official Dario L. Peruano.
How has trade between Peru and Canada evolved since August 2009, the date on which the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries entered into force?
Trade between Peru and Canada has doubled because the value of exports and imports now reaches US$5.7 billion annually. When talking about trade between the two countries, one thinks of wheat being imported to Peru for making bread and cakes, while minerals go to Canada.
But what we notice over the following years is a diversity in the products that are exchanged. Now there are non-traditional goods, in addition to a diversity in the type of operations, because we currently notice the participation of more small and medium-sized companies. Small-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from the FTA.
What was your impression of the biromane held from September 25 to 29 in Arequipa, where Canada was considered an allied nation?
We had a suite at Berumen. When I spoke with the members of the delegation, they told me that it was a success because they had very good meetings with businessmen, authorities and representatives of Peruvian institutions to advance the issue of bilateral trade. We are very happy about that.
What sectors in Peru are of interest to Canadian business people?
Of course we have to talk about mining because Canada already has almost US$10 billion of investments in this sector, but in total there is US$14 billion, when also considering the banking and transportation sectors.
The mining sector is important, since Canada and Peru are major producers of minerals. So there is a lot of experience on both sides that can be shared.
And in infrastructure?
Perhaps in the projects of artisanal fishermen's piers, we talked about this topic with the Ministry of Production (Production). But there are other projects that interest us a lot because Canada has a government-to-government contracting model and I know that there is currently interest from the Peruvian authorities in this scheme to fill infrastructure gaps, such as the Lima and Callao metro.
With lines 3 and 4 of the Lima and Callao metro…
Exactly, considering that Canada has a lot of experience in this sector and we have world-class engineering companies, which already have a presence in Peru because they operate in the mining sector.
There are many Peruvians who travel or want to travel to Canada, what opportunities do they find in their country?
Last year the number of Peruvian students who went to Canada doubled, because in my country we have very good academic institutions, universities and colleges.
There is great interest from Peruvian students who travel to Canada to obtain a graduate degree or do an exchange with some university to learn for a semester in Canada and return to Peru with a new experience.
So, this is also one of our priorities because those bonds created from a young age will remain and be friends of Canada for life. In addition, we have temporary work permit programs and Canada is receiving a lot of migrant workers right now due to labor shortages.
After participating in Peru and observing the opportunities our country offers to Canadian investors, what is your assessment of the current situation in Peru?
It's been a great week, and the Canadian companies that participated in Berumen are thrilled. So, there is a positive vibe and enthusiasm towards Peru.
