Belle River, Prince Edward Island – Oilseed crops are one of the fastest-growing markets in Eastern Canada. For example, soybean production in Prince Edward Island has roughly tripled since 2008 to 2016. Our farmers are working hard to grow their businesses by tapping into exciting new opportunities both at home and in the emerging markets abroad.
Today, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food was at the Atlantic Soy processing plant in Belle River, Prince Edward Island, to announce a federal investment of $3.7 million to the Eastern Canada Oilseeds Development Alliance (ECODA). This investment will help farm businesses, like Atlantic Soy, to obtain the latest varieties in oilseeds that are best suited to grow in Atlantic Canadian soils and meet the demands of consumers in international markets.
Over the next five years, ECODA research activities will focus on:
Developing better varieties and new oilseed crops for eastern Canada, including soybeans, camelina, brown mustard, pulses, canola, and hemp;
Product innovation to boost market opportunities for oilseeds and value-added products;
Improving land use and increasing profitable crop rotation options; and
Improving pest resistance and soil preservation.
There are 21 projects over all and of these activities 10 projects worth $733,000 will be conducted in Prince Edward Island.
The research and commercialization program includes some 15 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, university, and private sector research organizations, and 12 grower and industry partners from eastern Canada, including collaborators from Europe, Japan, and the United States.
Source : Government of Canada