Three of Canada’s leading organizations in the malting industry are working to develop a long-term international strategy to improve their businesses.
To help meet that goal, the federal government is spending more than $597,000 it was announced last week at the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and James Bezan, MP for Selkirk-Interlake.
“By investing in international marketing for Canada’s malting industry, our world class malting barley sector can become more competitive and prosperous,” said Ritz.
There will be $410,000 available to the malt barley technical centre, a non-profit malting barley research and market development facility.
The Malting Industry Association of Canada, which represents Canada’s major malting companies, will receive $155,000, and the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, which represents the interests of Canada’s malting barley research, breeding, and variety sector, will receive $32,500.
The three groups will use the grant money to refine and implement a strategic plan outlining their collaborative goals to enhance Canadian competitiveness in global markets.
That will include the creation of a common branding strategy to highlight Canada’s unique, world class malt and malting barley industry.
In 2009, Canadian exports of malt amounted to more than 631,000 metric tonnes at a value of more than $444-million, while 1.6 million metric tonnes of barley were exported at a value of $441-million.
The federal grant is provided through the AgriMarketing program, which helps producers and processors increase exports of Canada’s safe, high-quality products around the world.
The program helps implement long-term international strategies which include activities such as international market development, consumer awareness and branding and industry-to-industry trade advocacy.
