Canada's horticulture sector produces high-quality fruits and vegetables while keeping our food supply steady and strong. Yesterday, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Abbotsford, British Columbia to meet with the BC Federation of Agriculture and visit local food producers.
While in Abbotsford, the Minister highlighted a $9.8 million partnership with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) through the AgriScience Program - Clusters Component, a program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, that will assist Canada's horticulture industry by enhancing research that protects the environment, builds greater resilience, and helps ensure Canadians have access to high-quality products.
The investment will fund research that builds off of previous cluster investments, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, supporting the development of new varieties, disease management, labour cost-savings, climate resilience, and greener pesticides and energy, with a focus on apples, berries, field vegetables, greenhouse vegetables, and potatoes. The goal of this research is to reduce the reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, advance innovative technologies, and create new disease control technology.
The Cluster consists of research activities that focus on the AgriScience Program priority areas: Climate change and environment, economic growth and development, and sector resilience and societal changes.
By investing in research and sustainability, the Government of Canada is helping organizations meet the increasing demand for our world-class, grown-in-Canada products.
