Government of Canada invests to help increase export sales and promote Canada’s high-quality and safe food abroad

From: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

News release

June 12, 2019 – Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Yesterday, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of $5.28 million to Agri-Food Export Group Québec-Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing program, while participating in their 2019 General Annual Meeting.This investment will help increase export sales for Canada’s agri-food sector and leverage Canada’s reputation for high-quality and safe food, benefitting exporters and the industry as a whole.

Funding for this project will enable member companies, particularly small- to medium-sized food and beverage companies, to diversify their markets and promote their products internationally to increase their visibility in foreign markets. The project also provides support to exporters who are just starting out and to those wanting to discover and capture new opportunities. It will allow companies to have a presence in a number of key markets such as the United States, France and Germany, and to benefit from the promotion of the Canada brand. The project’s activities include participation in trade shows, business meetings and trade missions. In addition, Groupe Export offers an annual training program for businesses that provides key tools for market development.

Quotes

“Our government remains committed to supporting Canada’s ability to expand export markets which is vital for creating good jobs and keeping our economy strong and prosperous. This investment will help support our agri-food product exporters seize business opportunities and promote our safe, sustainable, high quality food abroad.”

- Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

“For my very first task as Chair of the Board of Directors, I could not ask for better than to welcome this renewed support and show of confidence from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The fact that this financial assistance has been granted again clearly demonstrates AAFC’s support for an entire industry whose exports contribute significantly and structurally to the economy. By helping biofood exporters seize more market development opportunities, our government is allowing them to focus more on creating wealth for Canada and Quebec.”

- Bill Sheehan, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Agri-Food Export Group Québec–Canada

Quick facts

  • Agri-Food Export Group Québec–Canada is a non-profit association based in Sainte-Julie, Quebec. With a membership of over 450, the Agri-Food Export Group is the largest association of agri-food product exporters in Canada.

  • The Canadian food and beverage processing industry (including fish and seafood) generated revenues of $106.5 billion in 2015. Quebec accounts for a significant share of food and beverage processing sector exports (20% of Canadian production), the second highest after Ontario (30%).

  • This project will target markets in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, United States, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, China, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France.

  • The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector.

  • This funding was made under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program: National Industry Association (NIA) Component, a five-year, up to $121 million federal initiative that aims to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.

Associated links

Contacts

Justine Lesage
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
justine.lesage@canada.ca
613-404-1168 (Cell)

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
aafc.mediarelations-relationsmedias.aac@canada.ca
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