Ontario Farmer Daily / January 11, 2000
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Lyle Vanclief, announced recently the Government of Canada will provide $200,000 in funding to help ensure Canada remains the biggest exporter of peas and lentils in the world.
Speaking to the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Annual Meeting in Saskatoon, Mr. Vanclief said the funding will be provided to Pulse Canada's Quality Enhancement Initiative under the Government of Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) fund.
The initiative aims to improve the quality of Canadian pulse crops, develop new uses for pulse crop starch, protein and other components and build on the environmental benefits of including pulse crops in rotation.
Many of Canada's competitors in the pulse crop market have begun to put more focus on quality, while Canada has long focused on production. Some industry representatives fear that without more emphasis, Canada could become a supplier of last resort or be seen as a supplier of lower-quality product.
"The Canadian pulse industry has shown it recognizes that increased spending in quality research is needed to remain competitive in the world market," said Mr. Vanclief. "With this CARD funding, the Government of Canada is showing that it is committed to ensuring the success of Canada's pulse crop sector for years to come."
Created in the 1995 federal budget, the CARD fund is a $60-million-per-year Government of Canada initiative designed to provide Canada's agri-food industry with the tools it requires to adapt to a changing environment. In March 1999, Mr. Vanclief announced the renewal of the CARD fund well into the new millennium. CARD is just one of the federal programs in place to ensure Canada's rural communities continue to thrive and prosper.:
