The Government of Canada is celebrating Organic Week by helping organic farmers and food processors take full advantage of the incredible growth the sector has enjoyed in recent years. Organic Week begins on Thanksgiving Day, October 11, and runs until World Food Day on October 16. During the week, consumers, producers and organic enthusiasts will participate in a range of unique events planned across the country, including workshops, local farm tours and a nation-wide recipe contest.
To help kick off the festivities, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today announced an investment of more than $150,000 to assist the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) in promoting Canada’s high quality organic products to consumers abroad. COTA is one of several organic organizations across the country that is partnering to make Organic Week a success.
“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. “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.”
This 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,” said 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 $2 billion in 2008, representing 66 per cent growth since in 2006. This investment is provided through the AgriMarketing Program, which helps national producer and processor associations to increase exports of safe, premium Canadian products around the world. The program helps implement long term international strategies, which include activities such as the expansion of international markets, consumer education and brand promotion.
