The Canadian government has revealed it will celebrate Organic Week by helping the country’s organic farmers and food processors take full advantage of the “incredible growth” the sector has enjoyed in recent years.
Organic Week, which began today (Monday 11 October) and runs until World Food Day on 16 October, will see consumers, producers and organic enthusiasts will participate in a range of unique events across Canada, including workshops, local farm tours and a nationwide recipe contest.
To help kick off the festivities, Canada’s Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced an investment of more than C$150,000 to assist the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) in promoting the nation’s organic products to consumers abroad.
“This investment will help farmers stay ahead of international market trends and enhance the global competitiveness of Canada's growing organic agriculture sector,” said Minister Ritz in a news statement.
“Our Government is always looking to support new opportunities for Canadian farmers and processors, and this investment will do just that by helping COTA capitalize on new global markets.”
The investment will enable COTA to participate in international trade shows, develop a Canadian exporter toolkit, and establish web resources to profile the sector and launch the Canada Organic Brand.
The Association will build upon its long-term international strategy and provide information and resources on markets to the Canadian organic sector.
“With this second year of support from the Government of Canada’s AgriMarketing Program, we can begin the work of building a brand for Canadian organic products in our target markets,” explained Matthew Holmes, executive director, Canada Organic Trade Association.
“Canadian organic producers have a great story to tell, and with this support our members can remain competitive and explore new ways of promoting our great products.”
The Canadian organic retail market was valued at close to C$2bn in 2008, representing 66 per cent growth since in 2006.
