September 10, 2014 – Simcoe, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and the Honourable Diane Finley, Member of Parliament for Haldimand-Norfolk, today announced an investment of $423,000 to the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association (OGGA) to help the industry boost productivity and profitability.
With this investment, the OGGA will address an industry priority: managing ginseng replant disease, which is the inability to grow a second, healthy crop of ginseng on land where it was previously produced. The OGGA will examine the factors that lead to the disease and study potential solutions to manage and/or reduce its effects. The focus will be on the evaluation of fungicides, the introduction of beneficial organisms and a comparison of replant and non-replant sites.
This project will complement work already underway through funding from Agriculture Canada’s Pesticide Risk Reduction Program. That work is being conducted within the Department and is focussed on understanding factors which contribute to the disease, and on crop management practices.
Jeff English
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
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