Toronto, Ontario (Rural Roots Canada) – Ontario farmers and food processors are getting $20 million in new funding to help them expand sales in domestic and international markets.
The federal and provincial governments announced the Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative on Tuesday, aimed at protecting the province’s agriculture sector from economic uncertainty and potential tariffs.
Applications open Feb. 17 for Ontario producers looking to expand into new domestic and international markets.
The program offers three types of support. These include planning assistance for market diversification, help developing new products and marketing strategies, and funding for equipment and technology upgrades needed to meet new market requirements.
“This investment will help our local farmers and agribusinesses sell more products grown in Ontario to markets around the world,” said Trevor Jones, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness.
The initiative will provide extra support for projects targeting non-U.S. markets, although funding remains available for American market expansion as well.
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Drew Spoelstra, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said creating reliable markets has never been more important for producers.
“Ontario farmers produce some of the highest quality food and agricultural products in the world,” Spoelstra said.
The funding comes through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year agreement between federal and provincial governments running from 2023 to 2028. Under the partnership, Ottawa covers 60 per cent of program costs while provinces pay 40 per cent.
Ontario’s agri-food sector generates nearly $52 billion annually and employs thousands of workers across the province. The food and beverage processing sector has more than 4,000 companies in Ontario, and 90 per cent are small businesses.
The program is open to farmers, food processors and agribusinesses. The amount of funding available per project varies based on proposal type and whether projects focus on U.S. or non-U.S. markets.
Details about application requirements and funding levels will be released when the program opens next month.
