Harrow, Ontario, Canada
April 10, 2015

Member of Parliament Jeff Watson (Essex), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced today an investment of $225,000 for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists to work with the Canadian Soybean Exporters’ Association (CSEA) to help boost the global competitiveness of food-grade soybeans.

The soybean industry, working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists at the Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre in Harrow, will develop quality-control tools to help ensure that their crops meet the specific quality attributes in demand for soybeans in global markets. The primary objective of this project is to evaluate Canadian soybean suitability for soymilk production, and it is targeted mainly at the Asian soy food market, estimated at $880 million in 2014.

Quick Facts

• Soybeans are currently the fourth-largest crop by seeded acreage, according to Soy Canada, returning $2.4 billion to Canadian farmers.
• CSEA, formed in 1995, is a voluntary association that promotes the export of Canadian soybeans and soya products to world markets by continuously improving the quality and value of Canadian soybeans.
• A previous collaborative project between CSEA and the Harrow research centre, which received $180,000 from the Developing Innovative Agri-Products Program, focused on establishing procedures for testing Canadian soybean suitability for tofu manufacture.
• This investment is being made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInnovation Program, a five-year, up to $698 million initiative under Growing Forward 2.

Quotes

“Soybeans are a rapidly expanding crop in Canada and a key crop in Essex County. This investment will help ensure the long-term prosperity of the sector through the use of innovative technologies by helping exporters, producers and soybean breeders select the best soybeans that meet consumer and market demands.”

- Member of Parliament Jeff Watson

“As the representative organization for Canada’s soybean exporters, the Canadian Soybean Exporters’ Association values the broad expertise of Dr. Lorna Woodrow and her team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s research centre at Harrow in setting the standard for world class testing of Canada’s food-grade soybeans. It is clear that our international customers appreciate and find value in the informative results that come from this program.”

- Sue Robert, Past Chair, CSEA

Additional Links

• Growing Forward 2 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• AgriInnovation Program (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• Canadian Soybean Exporters’ Association