REGINA – A new federal/provincial government program is designed to fill a gap between other supports for agricultural research and development, says Saskat-chewan agriculture minister Darrel Cunningham.
The Agri-Food Innovation Fund, is expected to provide $91 million for development of agriculture projects.
Saskatchewan’s share of $27 million will be provided over two years, but the timing of the federal government’s $64 million has not been spelled out, Cunningham said. The $91 million is the total commitment of both governments and it will probably be spent over five or more years.
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The money will be aimed at turning good business ideas into reality, he said. This has been a long-standing problem in Saskatchewan.
“We’re finding that from the time someone has an idea until the production research is done, the product is grown, tested, business plans are done and market pilot projects completed is about five to six years,” he said.
The Agri-Food Innovation Fund will complement two other government programs, Cunningham said.
The Agriculture Development Fund is aimed at promoting applied scientific research, while the Agriculture Equity Fund helps finance companies that are ready to start production and go to market. The new fund will fill the void that stands between proving scientific possibility and establishing a production facility, Cunningham said.
When is the question
While the federal government has agreed to the amount it will put in the program, when that money will be provided is still up in the air. But Cunningham said he doesn’t think the federal government will try to back out of its share.
“I think it’s one of our comfort zones,” he said. “We were able to negotiate our safety net prior to the (upcoming federal) budget. It’s going to leave us in a better position than some other governments.”
Other provinces, such as Alberta, are now pulling out of the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan, but replacing their safety nets will be more difficult because “they will be negotiating with a federal government that will probably have a smaller agriculture budget.”
