Canadian Potatoes receive marketing support from Government of Canada

The Government of Canada is helping the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) peel open new international markets for our top-quality spuds. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced an investment of $743,000 to help the CHC increase exports and improve record-keeping systems for potato growers.

"The food produced by Canadian farmers contributes to healthy diets in Canada and around the world"said Minister Ritz. "These investments will help producers, whether they be from Prince Edward Island or Portage la Prairie, peel open more market opportunities for their top-quality potatoes and vegetables."

The AgriMarketing program will deliver an investment of $688,000 to help the CHC undertake international market development and export promotion activities for the potato sub-sector. The CHC will develop new promotional materials, participate in trade shows and international trade missions to showcase these tasty tubers. The CHC will also develop a long-term international strategy for the greenhouse vegetable sub-sector.

The CHC will also receive, through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), an investment of $55,000 to help determine the feasibility and the cost to improve farm record keeping with GPS technology. Better record keeping at the field level will help assure markets and consumers that Canadian potatoes are grown to the highest standards.

"This funding provides an excellent opportunity for producers to showcase the quality of our products around the world,"said CHC President Andy Vermeulen.

Canada has a long history of supplying top-quality table potatoes to customers and is widely recognized as an international leader in seed and fresh potato production.

In 2009, Canada produced an estimated 4.6 million tons of potatoes. In the 2008-09 marketing year, exports of potato and potato products were valued at an estimated $1.5 billion.

Exports of Canadian horticultural products overall reached $3.8 billion in 2009.