Quebec’s provincial government says it will boost the funding it provides to ag export agencies as part of its response to the provincial commission on the future of farming.
Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard, speaking Friday at the Salon international de l’alimentation (SIAL) trade show in Montreal, pledged $5 million to support companies that export Quebec food products.
Of that, Lessard said, the bulk of funding will go to improvements in the federal/provincial Quebec Export program, increasing its budget by $600,000 per year for a total of $1.8 million.
Read Also
Ag in Motion speaker highlights need for biosecurity on cattle operations
Ag in Motion highlights need for biosecurity on cattle farms. Government of Saskatchewan provides checklist on what you can do to make your cattle operation more biosecure.
The program provides marketing and promotional support for processors seeking to enter markets abroad, the province said. Companies that want to apply for financial support from the program have until next May 1 to do so, Lessard said.
The funding will allow the province to consolidate its support services for exporters, the government said.
Another $400,000 will go to the budget of Transformation Alimentaire Quebec, a food processors’ support agency, in part for the agency to develop a market watch service that would inform processors of export market trends and opportunities.
The funding is also expected to support a pilot promotional project to create new Quebec branding for its food exports to the U.S., the province said.
Entering foreign markets is a major challenge, Lessard said in a press release, citing the substantial investments required, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.
However, exporting companies have taken the lead in Quebec’s food sector for over 10 years now, he said, and the challenge for the industry now is to boost its exports and thus ensure its future development.
The province said this announcement is part of its response to the February report from the Commission sur l’avenir de l’agriculture et de l’agroalimentaire quebecois, led by former senior provincial bureaucrat Jean Pronovost.
Among the report’s criticisms and concerns for the future of Quebec’s ag industry were expected pressure for increased market access from the World Trade Organization and the “low expectations for growth and development in Quebec’s food processing sector.”
