Vineland Station, Ontario— Canada’s Economic Action Plan is delivering real results for Ontario fruit producers and processors. MP Dean Allison (Niagara West-Glanbrook) announced today, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, an investment of more than $163,000 to Cherry Lane Frozen Fruits. This repayable contribution will help the company improve its processing equipment, allowing it to retain its market position against foreign competition.
"Canada’s Economic Action Plan continues to support food processors and help farmers to get their products to market," said MP Allison. "By increasing the production capacity of Cherry Lane, we are in turn increasing the supply of local fruit to consumers and boosting the bottom line of Ontario farmers."
This investment will be used to purchase and install twin advanced Colour Detector sorting machines. Automating a function previously done manually, the new equipment sorts cherries according to desired quality characteristics. Increased efficiencies and improved consistency in the sorting function allows Cherry Lane to secure a customer base and retain its position in a competitive market. The project also allows the firm to continue its supply-chain relationship with 22 cherry growers thereby providing another distribution channel to Ontario-based producers.
"We’re very excited about the opportunities that this funding provides" said Jenifer Smith at Cherry Lane. "We operate in a global market and have been challenged to stay competitive while keeping our commitment to purchase as much Ontario fruit as possible. The new colour sorter will create efficiencies that allow us to process more locally grown cherries from our grower community."
This investment is being delivered by the AgriFlexibility fund through the AgriProcessing initiative, a five-year, up to $50 million initiative designed to enhance the competitiveness of the agri-processing sector in Canada. It provides support to existing companies for projects that involve the adoption of innovative and new-to-company manufacturing technologies and processes that are essential to sustaining and improving the sector's position in today's global marketplace. For more information, visit www.agr.gc.ca/api.
Canada’s Economic Action Plan continues to help farmers with its focus on strengthening the economy and creating jobs. Investments in viable market opportunities will help build an even stronger agriculture industry and Canadian economy. For more information, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada