Government of Canada invests over $960,000 in Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre

On Monday, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of over $960,000 for the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) to expand existing markets and to develop new markets for Canadian barley and barley products.

"Canada's barley producers have faced many recent challenges, including a historic drought and the pandemic. Despite adversity, the industry continues to look for opportunities in domestic and global markets. This investment will help the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) promote malting barley, which will strengthen its competitiveness and contribute to national economic growth," said Bibeau.

Canadian barley, as a cereal crop, is important for crop rotations, furthering sustainability and has a lower environmental impact compared to other crops. Barley is also the main feed stock for the livestock industry in Western Canada.

"Through the AgriMarketing Program, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is providing an important investment that matches CMBTC member contributions, to fund our work providing technical and marketing support to Canada's barley value chain, promoting the premium value proposition of Canadian barley and malt in global markets," said Peter Watts, Managing Director, Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre.

With this funding, through the AgriMarketing Program, CMBTC will undertake marketing and promotional initiatives in major export markets and prospective countries. It will also provide technical services to optimize the quality and performance of Canadian barley, as well as education and training to help customers gain acceptance of the unique qualities and special processing attributes of new malting barley varieties.

Canada is the fifth largest barley producer and the third largest malt barley exporter in the world.

Domestic and export sales of Canadian malting barley and processed malt generate $1 billion annually.