Agri-Opportunities Program

What is it?

This $134 million program was created to help speed up the commercialization of products which include new agricultural products, processes or services. It does this by providing some up-front, repayable, financial capital and by sharing investment risk with agri-businesses including food companies, not-for profit organizations, co-operatives, academic institutions and producers.

What Is the Criteria?

Your project should focus on new agri-food, agriculture or bioproducts that will:

a) increase market opportunities for the Canadian agricultural industry across the value chain, and

b) generate demand for primary agricultural products.

Products must be new to Canada and be ready to introduce to the marketplace. Project work must take place in Canada and benefit our agricultural industry. You must also demonstrate that there is a need for capital.

New products could include bioproducts such as plastics and fibre board, nutraceuticals, functional foods, new food products, new uses of agricultural by-products and much more. New processes could include new food processing technology to, for instance, bring a new product to market.

What is the benefit to your company?

The Agri-Opportunities Program provides a maximum repayable contribution of $10 million per project and per recipient. Repayment terms are quite favourable.

Funding provided to for-profit organizations will be in the form of repayable contributions if the funding amount is more than $100,000. Funding less than $100,000 and funding provided to not-for-profit organizations will normally be non-repayable. The target program contribution per project is 33% of total project costs.

Agri-Opportunities is available until March 2011 and is delivered nationally by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Where can I find more information?

For more information on the Agri-Opportunities Program, application deadlines, or to access a program application form and instructions, please e-mail: agri-opps@agr.gc.ca or call 1-866-367-8506. You can also visit their web page at: http://www.agr.gc.ca/index_e.php?s1=prog&s2=aop&page=intro