New Delhi, July 18 (KNN) The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) on Saturday said that Canada can be a very important market for the domestic food and beverages companies.

TPCI said that the food sector has shown phenomenal growth to the tune of 27 per cent in the markets such as the US and Canada.

"We feel that Canada can be a very important market for Indian food and beverages industry as Canada has a large population, about 2.4 million, of the Indian diaspora," TPCI Chairman Mohit Singla said during a virtual buyer-seller meet on food and beverages products organised by  the council in association with the High Commission of India in Ottawa.

High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria said that it is a very positive sign that we are looking beyond the pandemic to go into a recovery phase for the business.

''Indian ethnic and organic food has huge demand in Canada and is witnessing good growth. Food sector will be more than positive overall," Bisaria added.

India's top exports to Canada include pharma, automobiles, frozen shrimps, gems and jewellery, iron and steel pipeline for gas, and plastics.

The main imports are dried and shelled lentils, paper roll for newsprint, coal, petroleum and crude oil, potassium chloride as fertiliser, and unworked diamond.

The bilateral trade between the two countries has increased to USD 6.28 billion in 2018 to USD 6.8 billion in 2019, TPCI said.