Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Élaine Zakaïb, Quebec’s Minister for Industrial Policy and the Banque de développement économique du Québec and MNA for Richelieu, on behalf of François Gendron, Quebec’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, are pleased to announce that Élevages Buffalo Maciocia is being provided $300,000 in financial assistance to produce and process water buffalo milk in Quebec.

Implementation of this project is being funded by the governments of Canada and Quebec under the Support Program for Sectoral Development Strategies.

“Our Government continues to focus on creating jobs, growth and prosperity through targeted investments in agriculture. This support will help Élevages Buffalo Maciocia strengthen the market for their unique product and boost our overall economy,” stated Minister Gerry Ritz.

Élevages Buffalo Maciocia has the only water buffalo dairy farm in Quebec. In partnership with Fromagerie Polyethnique, the company is undertaking a project to develop value-added products for the North American market. A first step in the project consists in processing the water buffalo milk and marketing products such as cheese and yogurt.

“The Government of Quebec is proud to support Élevages Buffalo Maciocia. The high value-added products that this company is finalizing will diversify not only the economy, but also Quebec’s agricultural landscape and consumers’ food choices, and will also open doors to new markets for the company. I am especially pleased that this initiative aligns perfectly with our food sovereignty policy, as it aims to establish a new sector and revitalize the Quebec bio food industry,” stated François Gendron.

“I am proud that the governments of Canada and Quebec are supporting an innovative project in my riding of Richelieu and in my region. Montérégie is a model of agricultural vitality, and I am pleased to know that this robustness will be fuelled by this project, which will encourage the establishment of a new agricultural sector in Quebec,” added Élaine Zakaïb.

The Support Program for Sector Development Strategies was announced by the governments of Canada and Quebec on March 25, 2011, and provides $16.7 million over four years. It was recently renewed and now has four components: sectoral development, sectoral strategic plans, value chains and sectoral cooperation. The fourth component is new and was not part of the previous version of the program. It should enable sectoral cooperation organizations to hire development officers who will act as project managers, in order to facilitate the design and implementation of sectoral development activities and measures.

Growing Forward 2 is a bilateral agreement between the governments of Canada and Quebec with a five-year (2013–2018) budget of $293 million. The purpose of this major agreement is to support strategic initiatives in innovation, competitiveness and market development for the benefit of both the agricultural and food processing sectors.

For more information on national Growing Forward 2 initiatives, visit www.agr.gc.ca/growingforward.ca. For more information on cost-shared Growing Forward 2 (in French only) programs in Quebec, visit www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/cultivonslavenir.

For more information on the food sovereignty policy (in French only), visit the blog devoted to the policy (www.PolitiqueSA.gouv.qc.ca) or the website of the Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (in French only) at: www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/PolitiqueSA. MAPAQ can also be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/mapaquebec.

For more information, please contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Follow us on Twitter: @AAFC_Canada

Jeff English
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059

Maxime Couture
Press Secretary
Office of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
418-380-2525

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries 
and Food
418-380-2100, extension 3512
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca

src:news.gc.ca