Atlantic grains and oilseed sector gets $4M boost

The federal government andAtlantic provinces are investing over $4 million inthe Atlantic Grains Council.

Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay made the announcement Friday at the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture's annual general meeting in Charlottetown.

The funding includes $3.2 million under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership's agriscience program, $260,655 each from the provinces of P.E.I., Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and $44,550 from Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2017, crop receipts for the grains and oilseeds sector in the Atlantic provinces equalled $83.5 million, which is 10 per cent of total crop receipts in the region, according to the federal government.

MacAulay said the new funding will be used to support research efforts focused to support the long-term sustainability of grains and oilseeds systems. Much of the work will take place at the Harrington Research Centre in Queens County.

He said investing in research and innovation is imperative to compete in the global agri-food market.

"Everybody in the world is at this and so are we."

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