CIGI: welcomes significant investment from government

Winnipeg / CA. (cigi) The Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI) will continue to play a leading role in developing international markets and identifying unique product applications for a wide variety of field crops grown in Western and Eastern Canada, thanks to funding announced by the Government of Canada, says CIGI Executive Director Earl Geddes.

The funding includes more than eleven million CAD from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada´s AgriMarketing Program and an additional investment of over 500’000 CAD from Western Economic Diversification Canada that will help CIGI keep its competitive edge with state-of-the-art tools, technology and knowledge. «The significant investment announced will enable CIGI to use its technical product expertise and market knowledge to work with industry to develop and access new markets, expand existing markets, and provide top after-sales service to customers using Canadian field crops around the world», says Geddes. «These efforts will have a long-term, positive impact on the entire value chain, from farmers to processors to consumers».

For nearly four decades CIGI has worked with the agricultural community worldwide in the promotion and utilization of Canadian field crops. «The sustainability provided through this three-year funding ensures that CIGI will continue to partner with organizations in Canada´s wheat, barley, pulse, soybean, oilseed and special crops industries to develop new products, processes and knowledge», says Geddes. «It enables us to vigorously pursue our goals and work with our industry partners to identify new opportunities for the high quality field crops grown across Canada, particularly as consumer demand for nutritious products continues to increase. We value the opportunity to work with the Government of Canada as a strategic partner pursuing our common goal of creating global opportunities for Canadian crops».

About: Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada), CIGI is a centre of excellence featuring technical expertise and pilot processing facilities uniquely housed under one roof. It is an industry leader in delivering customized educational programs and technical expertise and providing ongoing specialized technical support to customers around the world. Since 1972 more than 31,000 people representing grain, oilseed, pulse and special crops industries from 114 countries have participated in CIGI programs and seminars. CIGI is a non-profit market development organization with a vision to be the recognized leader specializing in offering continuous advances in Canadian field crop products to the world. Core funding is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Wheat Board. Additional funds and support are provided by other sectors of the agriculture industry.