The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $1 million over two years through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to support productivity and growth in the province’s maple syrup sector.
The Maple Production Improvement Initiative will provide eligible maple syrup producers access to cost-shared funding to support a range of activities to enhance their operations. Project costs can be applied retroactively to April 1, 2023, when Sustainable CAP officially launched.
“Ontario’s maple syrup producers continue to deliver exceptional products that are enjoyed here in Canada, and around the world,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “This initiative is an investment in future growth,and will bring more operational efficiency to the sector.”
“Our government appreciates the resilience and determination of maple syrup producers throughout Ontario and how they have continued to build a solid market for their maple syrup products,” said Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. “This investment, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will drive increased production, supporting specific growth targets for the wider sector laid out in our Grow Ontario Strategy.”
Under the Maple Production Improvement Initiative, applicants can receive up to 50 per cent cost-share funding for eligible costs, to a maximum of $20,000 per project.
Eligible businesses can apply for support through this program starting on November 9, 2023. The initiative will support the purchase and installation of upgraded production equipment for eligible syrup producers, that increase productivity, efficiency and growth, such as reverse osmosis or remote monitoring systems. It will also provide funding to cover a portion of certain woodlot management activities, including tree marking and the development of a forest plan, to assist the operation of eligible businesses.
This initiative was developed following discussions with sector businesses. It builds on other actions the government has taken to support the overall agri-food sector’s growth, such as a Minister-led agri-food trade mission to Japan and Vietnam in February 2023. It also follows recent committed investments of up to $6 million through the Grow Ontario Market Initiative and more than $68 million through the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Initiative.
To be eligible, applicants must have a minimum of 1,000 taps in operation, as of April 1, 2023 and meet other criteria.
Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal‐provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.
Quick Facts
- The Maple Production Improvement Initiative will be delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). More details about the initiative and its application process will soon be available online via the OSCIA.
- Eligible costs will be retroactive to April 1, 2023.
- To be eligible to participate in the Maple Production Improvement Initiative, an applicant must also have or be enrolled in at least one of the following: Farm Business Registration Number (FBRN), or an Order from the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal exempting the producer from having to have a FBRN, or a letter from the Indian Agriculture Program of Ontario, Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program and or Forest Stewardship Council certification.
- Ontario government calculations suggest that over 1,000 jobs and close to $42 million in gross domestic product (GDP) were attributed to the maple industry value chain (farm, processing and retail), in 2022.
- Building sector capacity and growth through realizing the potential of value added agri-food and agri-products were among the top priorities set for Sustainable CAP by the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural ministers in The Guelph Statement.