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AAFC invests $9.8M in Fruit & Vegetable Growers of Canada

On Oct. 11, Lawrence MacAulay, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, announced a $9.8 million partnership with Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) through the AgriScience Program: Clusters Component (a Sustainable CAP program).

The partnership 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.

“This program will bolster our efforts in areas such as climate change mitigation, economic development and sector resilience,” said Marcus Janzen, FVGC vice-president. “[The Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4] is not merely funding; it’s a commitment to equipping Canadian farmers with the innovative tools they need to produce world-class fruits and vegetables and ensure our sector’s sustainability.”

This investment, announced during a meeting with the B.C. Federation of Agriculture in Abbotsford, will fund research that builds off of previous cluster investments under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. It will support 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.

“Agriculture creates jobs and a sense of pride in communities right across Canada,” MacAulay said. “The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada have demonstrated continued leadership over the past 100 years, and we will continue to support Canada’s fruit and vegetable growers, while building a sustainable sector for the future.”

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.