Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, was in Winnipeg today to provide remarks at the 4th Annual CropConnect Conference, where he announced more than $2.27 M in funding for the crop sector.
The federal government is investing nearly $675,000 to support the market development activities of Manitoba’s crop sector. This includes support to the Canadian Special Crops Association to promote Canada’s pulse and special crops to buyers in Canada and around the world. The CSCA funding will go towards marketing activities such as farm tours, industry-to-industry advocacy, market research, product promotion, education and events like the Pulses 2017: The Future of Food convention. The federal government is also supporting the Cereals Canada to develop and disseminate new promotional material for their Keep it Clean campaign, and to assist with producer and supply chain participation in international market development and missions, including New Crop Missions for wheat. In addition, the Minister announced support for 4 small- and medium-sized crop-related Manitoba food businesses to help them tap into new markets.
These investments are part of the federal government’s plan to help Canadian farmers expand their customer base, at home and internationally.
Minister MacAulay also joined Manitoba Agriculture Minister Eichler to announce more than $1.6 million of joint provincial-territorial funding for eight research projects to deal with a wide range of issues facing Manitoba crop producers. Following the announcement, the two Ministers toured the CropConnect tradeshow to meet industry representatives.
After the CropConnect conference, Minister MacAulay will take the opportunity to meet with the newly appointed commissioners of the Canadian Grain Commission, including Chief Commissioner Patti Miller, to discuss key priority areas for maintaining a competitive and efficient grain sector.