ST. CATHARINES, ON- Canada's wine industry provides business opportunities for grape growers and wine makers, while contributing to the economic vitality of rural communities. Today, Chris Bittle, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, announced on behalf of the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, an investment of up to $990,866 to Wine Growers Canada. The project will help increase domestic and export sales of Canadian-made wine through targeted awareness and training initiatives.
The Canadian wine industry has over 800 winery establishments nationwide. While the wine industry continues to grow across the country, it is not immune to challenges, including climate change, labour shortages and supply chain issues.
This investment, under the AgriMarketing Program, will support Wine Growers Canada to further develop markets in North America, Europe and Asia, and increase awareness of and trust in Canadian-made wine to protect, maintain and enhance market access for Canadian wine producers.
To help licensed Canadian wineries as they adapt to ongoing and emerging challenges that impact financial resilience and competitiveness of the wine industry, the Government of Canada also launched the two-year, up to $166-million Wine Sector Support Program to provide wineries with short-term financial support.
Increasing access to international markets helps wine producers continue to be a significant contributor to the Canadian economy and grow in all areas of the value chain, from grape growing to retail sales to tourism. The Government of Canada will continue to work with the wine industry to strengthen the sector and keep it competitive.
Source : Newswire.ca