BC Agriculture and Food Export Program

Description

The BC Agriculture and Food Export Program (the Program) is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – a five-year (2023 to 2028) investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow the agriculture and food sector. 

The Program aims to increase sales, reduce market risk, and enhance long-term sustainability for B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage exporters by providing cost-shared funding to undertake market development activities outside of B.C. that enable sector businesses and associations to maintain, expand and/or diversify export markets. The Program is administered on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food by MNP LLP (‘Program Administration’). 

The Program aims to achieve the following outcomes: ■ Immediate Outcomes: B.C. agriculture, food and beverage sector businesses are marketing their products and building business networks domestically and internationally to support their marketing objectives through the support of programs/services; ■ Intermediate Outcomes: B.C. agriculture, food and beverage sector businesses are increasing domestic and international market diversification by pursuing market development opportunities; and 

■ Long Term Outcomes: B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage businesses are reducing market risk and enhancing long-term sustainability by maintaining, expanding and diversifying domestic and international markets through the support of market development activities, resulting in the following: 

о Increased purchases of B.C. products; о Increased interprovincial and international exports of B.C. products; and о Reduced market risk due to market diversification.

 Applications for this funding call through the Program will be accepted starting on January 6th, 2025 and ending at 16:00 Pacific Standard Time 

on February 3rd, 2025, with successful projects expected to start by April 1st, 2025 and be completed by March 1st, 2026.

The BC Agriculture and Food Export Program (the Program) is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – a five-year (2023 to 2028) investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow the agriculture and food sector. 

The Program aims to increase sales, reduce market risk, and enhance long-term sustainability for B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage exporters by providing cost-shared funding to undertake market development activities outside of B.C. that enable sector businesses and associations to maintain, expand and/or diversify export markets. The Program is administered on behalf of the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food by MNP LLP (‘Program Administration’). 

The Program aims to achieve the following outcomes: ■ Immediate Outcomes: B.C. agriculture, food and beverage sector businesses are marketing their products and building business networks domestically and internationally to support their marketing objectives through the support of programs/services; ■ Intermediate Outcomes: B.C. agriculture, food and beverage sector businesses are increasing domestic and international market diversification by pursuing market development opportunities; and 

■ Long Term Outcomes: B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage businesses are reducing market risk and enhancing long-term sustainability by maintaining, expanding and diversifying domestic and international markets through the support of market development activities, resulting in the following: 

о Increased purchases of B.C. products; о Increased interprovincial and international exports of B.C. products; and о Reduced market risk due to market diversification.

 Applications for this funding call through the Program will be accepted starting on January 6th, 2025 and ending at 16:00 Pacific Standard Time 

on February 3rd, 2025, with successful projects expected to start by April 1st, 2025 and be completed by March 1st, 2026. 

 

BC Agriculture and Food Export Program

The BC Agriculture and Food Export Program is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – a five-year (2023 to 2028) investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow the agriculture and food sector. The program aims to increase sales, reduce market risk, and enhance long-term sustainability for B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage exporters by providing cost-shared funding to undertake market development activities outside of B.C. that enable sector businesses and associations to maintain, expand and/or diversify export markets.

Download the Program Guide

 

Eligible Applicants

To be considered eligible for cost-shared funding through the Program, organizations must meet the following criteria:

Be a primary agriculture producer; an agriculture, food and beverage and/or seafood processor; an agriculture, food and beverage cooperative; or, a recognized agriculture, food and/or beverage and/or seafood industry association, board or council;

Note: Please refer to the Program Guide for additional eligibility criteria by organization type

Have a head office in B.C. or be entitled (including being appropriately registered, licensed or certified, as appropriate) to do business in B.C.;

Be selling or marketing a product that is grown or processed in B.C.;

Have the ability to provide, and commit to providing, a minimum percentage of the total Project budget in cash, towards eligible Project costs as follows:

 

1. 50% for producers, processors and cooperatives;
2. 30% for industry associations, boards, or councils;

Have total annual gross revenues greater than $100,000 for the two most recent consecutive years (only applies to producers, processors and cooperatives)

Please note that fishers and seafood harvesters are not eligible to receive funding under the BC Agriculture and Food Export Program.

Eligible Activities

For a project to be funded through the Program, an application must include one or more of the three eligible activities below:

Export Market Tradeshows, Food Fairs and Sales Exhibitions

Participating in interprovincial/international tradeshows, food fairs, and sales exhibitions to connect with commercial buyers, including associated costs related to booth rentals, booth accessories and services, translators (if event primarily includes non-English speakers), meeting buyers on the margins of the event, or shipping product samples to and from the event.

Note: expenses related to consumer-focused tradeshows or events are not eligible to receive project funding.

Consumer-Focused Promotional Activities in Export Markets

Conducting consumer-focused retail or food service promotions in export markets, including associated costs such as hiring brand ambassadors, renting pop-up booths, purchasing serving utensils, or shipping samples to and from the retail or food service establishment.

Export Focused Marketing Collateral and Advertising or Social Media Campaigns

Developing export-focused marketing materials, including videos, brochures, rack cards, posters, banners, recipe cards or point-of-sale signage for retail or food service promotions (e.g., shelf talkers, menu inserts, etc.).

Delivering paid advertising campaigns (print, radio, TV, digital) to promote specific products. Hiring a third-party social media contractor in a specific export market for community management, social outreach, content curation and analytics to promote specific products in export markets.

Translating online or print communications to a foreign language to promote a specific product(s) in export markets.

Note: Google Search Ads are not an eligible activity output under the Program

1 Seafood processors/cooperatives/industry associations are not eligible for cost-shared funding support for interprovincial market development activities for any of the above eligible activities. All eligible activities taken on by seafood processors/cooperatives/industry associations must focus on and/or target international markets.

 

Funding Limits

Applicants may apply under one of two funding streams:

Producers and Processors

For producers, processors and cooperatives, funding is available from a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $50,000 per year or 30% of the previous year’s annual revenues (whichever is lower).

Industry Associations

For industry associations, boards and councils, funding is available from a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $75,000 per year.

Anticipated Program Timelines

Application Intake Opens	January 6, 2025
Program Information Session (online webinar)	January 9, 2025
Application Intake Closes	February 3, 2025 at 16:00 PST
Application Review	February 4 to March 31, 2025
Anticipated Project Start Date	April 1, 2025
Project Completion Deadline	March 1, 2026

Application Assessment

All complete Program applications received will be evaluated only on the information submitted and will not be considered if they do not meet eligibility criteria. Eligible applications will be reviewed using a merit-based review process to allocate available cost-share funding to projects that best align with the assessment criteria.

For details, refer to the Program Guide