CFA welcomes announcement that will aid farmers and exporters

April 8, 2009 -- On April 7, 2009, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) was pleased to see the launch of the Trade and Market Development Program which aims to help farmers and exporters sell more products to more international customers. The Program is part of the new Growing Forward agricultural framework.

"CFA welcomes this component in the Growing Forward framework," said CFA president Laurent Pellerin. "The announcement of this effective tool to diversify export markets has been long-anticipated by exporters."

The program will replace Canadian Agriculture and Food International (CAFI) Program which has proven to be an effective program. "Many farmers have used the CAFI Program and have benefited from it over the years. This program is welcomed by our exporter members such as the grain, livestock, and horticulture sectors," said Pellerin. "It is good to see that another program has been put in place under Growing Forward to continue to support farmers and exporters."

The objective of the Trade and Market Development program is to provide exporters with information and support, enabling them to sell more products in more markets. The program includes five initiatives: Canada Brand, AgriMarketing Program, Value Chain Roundtables (VCRTs), Market Information and Export Capacity Building, and Enabling Research for Competitive Agriculture. A key part of the program will be the AgriMarketing component, which aims to help exporters by ensuring the Canada Brand maple leaf is on promotional materials and raising the profile of Canadian goods.

"CAFI was one of the best government programs in assisting exporters to exploit new opportunities," added Pellerin.  "We are confident this new program will continue to benefit producers in finding new markets for Canadian products."