St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
April 15, 2014

Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today an investment of close to $80,000 to Flowers Canada Growers (FCG) to help expand sales in the United States, as well as increase their domestic market share.

FCG will promote Canadian floral products through participation at industry trade shows, the development of an export guidance manual and through sales missions to target markets.

Quick Facts

• Flowers Canada Growers is a national trade organization that focuses on enhancing the visibility, competitiveness and profitability of all Canadian stakeholders involved in the floral industry.
• Floriculture is an important part of the horticultural industry, with more than 1900 growers producing 28 per cent of the Canadian horticultural production. Last year, Canadian floriculture exports were $265 million, with 98 per cent of exports going to the United States.
• This non-repayable contribution will help FCG expand their market and boost exports to the United States, which will help create jobs in Canada.
• This funding will also increase Canadian consumer access to a wide variety of competitively priced indoor plants and cut flowers.
• This investment is made through the Market Development stream of the Government of Canada's AgriMarketing Program, a five-year, $341 million initiative under Growing Forward 2.

Quotes

"Our Government is strengthening Canada's agricultural sector through strategic investments that are opening new opportunities in domestic and international markets. This investment will help the floriculture industry better promote their products internationally, boost export sales and grow the industry as a whole."

- Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Agriculture Minister

"We are very grateful for the funding that our association receives from the AgriMarketing Program to promote our sector. We have utilized this program for a number of years and it has helped us grow our markets of high-quality Canadian plants and flowers throughout North America."

- Dean Shoemaker, Executive Director, Flowers Canada Growers

Additional Links

• Growing Forward 2 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• AgriMarketing Program (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Website: http://www.agr.gc.ca

Published: April 16, 2014