January 19, 2010

Canada boosts pork product promotion

Canada Pork International (CPI) is preparing to step up the promotion of Canadian pork and pork products internationally with a focus on specific key markets.

With over 50% of its products sold on the export market the Canadian pork industry is particularly dependent on trade.

CPI executive director Jacques Pomerleau said US$17 million allocated last August by the federal government for use over the next four years under the International Pork Marketing Fund will be used to further develop markets for Canadian pork.

Pomerleau said the international Pork Marketing Fund will maintain and improve market access to all foreign markets, and also diversify the sector on many of the markets.

He added that the first version of the strategic plan will be submitted to the federal agriculture minister at the end of this month.

Interestingly, CPI has been the beneficiary of financial assistance from the federal government over the years and the record has shown that kind of assistance is very effective with returns in the hundreds of dollars on each dollar invested.