Gerry Byrne, minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, centre, was at the Agriculture Expo at the Corner Brook Civic Centre on Friday to talk about investments focused on growing the province’s agriculture industry and supporting entrepreneurs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program.
The federal and provincial governments have committed over $5.6 million under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership for 87 projects in the province which focus on innovation, environmental sustainability and climate change, encouraging new entrants to the sector, secondary processing, food self-sufficiency and risk mitigation for the agriculture industry.
This program is cost shared between the two governments on a 60/40 basis.
The province has committed $2.75 million this year under the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program for land development and agriculture infrastructure.
To date, $2.48 million of that has been committed for 110 projects that support food self-sufficiency, increase agricultural growth, increase secondary processing and generate employment. The program is 100 per cent provincially funded.
Byrne was joined at the event by Long Range Mountains MP Gudie Hutchings and Merv Wiseman, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture.
