Growing Ontario's agriculture and food export markets

From: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

News release

Canada and Ontario doubling investment to help the sector develop new markets

February 5, 2024 – Toronto, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing an additional $6 million in the Grow Ontario Market Initiative to help agri-food businesses and industry organizations expand their sales and grow their markets. The increase brings the total funding for the Initiative through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to $12 million.

The Grow Ontario Market Initiative was launched in 2023 to provide primary producers, food processors and industry organizations with cost-share funding to help them increase sales in domestic and foreign markets through market analysis and planning, new product development and marketing.

In addition to the new funding for the Grow Ontario Market Initiative, the Ontario government has been promoting the province's agriculture and food products outside our borders, most recently during a successful trade mission to Mexico to promote grain and bakery products.

Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, led a delegation of agri-food businesses and organizations to meet with Mexican government, trade representatives and leading food companies. The meetings provided opportunities to promote the range and quality of Ontario bakery and grain products available to Mexican buyers, and to learn more about companies' operations and needs.

Sustainable CAP is a 5-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.

Quotes

"I'm so pleased that we've been able to partner with the Government of Ontario to invest an additional $6 million for the Grow Ontario Market Initiative. Ensuring our farmers, producers, and agri-food businesses are able to reach new markets, at home and abroad, is vitally important, and our governments are here to support them."

- The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"We are committed to our Grow Ontario Strategy goal of increasing agri-food trade by eight per cent each year, and we're doing so by promoting the incredible quality and diversity of products made and processed right here in Ontario. Through initiatives like the Grow Ontario Market Initiative, our trade missions and participation in international trade shows, we're ensuring Ontario agriculture and food businesses can grow and expand to new markets."

- Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Quick facts

  • The Grow Ontario Market Initiative is delivered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Application information can be obtained by calling 1-877-424-1300 or visiting the Grow Ontario Market Initiative website. 

  • Sustainable CAP will help enable the goals outlined in Ontario's Grow Ontario Strategy, which include increasing the production of food by 30% over the next 10 years and growing agriculture and food exports by 8% annually.

  • Ontario's agri-food industry contributes $48.8 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the provincial economy (6.4% of total Ontario GDP).

  • The Ontario delegation to Mexico included Grain Farmers of Ontario, which represents 28,000 grain farmers; Baxter's Bakery Inc., DG Global Inc., Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority, King's Pastry, London Agricultural Commodities (LAC), and Parrish & Heimbecker.

  • In 2022, Ontario-Mexico agri-food two-way trade was $2.8 billion Canadian dollars. Mexico was Ontario's sixth-largest agri-food export market in 2022.

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Contacts

For media:

Francis Chechile
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
francis.chechile@agr.gc.ca

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

Sam McCormick
Office of the Minister of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs
Sam.McCormick@ontario.ca

Connie Osborne
Communications Branch
OMAFRA.media@ontario.ca

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