The federal government has invested $1.8 million under the AgriAssurance Program to help Bioindustrial Innovation Canada further develop quality standards to accelerate growth of the agriculture sector bioeconomy, an Aug. 3 news release said.
“The bioeconomy will allow us to maximize the use of our agricultural resources, including leftover byproducts. By adding value to products once considered to be waste, and ensuring the quality of these bioproducts through strict quality standards, we will help strengthen Canada’s position as a leader in sustainable agriculture,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food, said in the release.
The bioeconomy, which is part of the green economy, is based on the production and sale of products other than foodstuffs made from agricultural, aquatic and forestry resources, or even municipal waste, the release noted. This includes crops grown as alternatives to petroleum-based products, such as corn for ethanol, or using waste like stems and leaves to produce bioproducts such as packaging.
The government investment will allow for Bioindustrial Innovation Canada to work with Biomass Quality Network Canada to develop research-based standards for measuring and assessing the quality of bioproducts made from agricultural sources.The project will also help scientists continue to explore plant genetics and environmental factors that could lead to the development of new crop varieties to supply bioproducts production, the release said.
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