March 17, 2015 – Fredericton, New Brunswick – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
Parliamentary Secretary Gerald Keddy, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, along with Member of Parliament Mike Allen, today announced an investment of $1.83 million in a Canadian-led international research effort to give potato farmers a technological edge in predicting and preventing yield losses in their fields and in storage.
The collaborative research effort with several industry partners will be led by scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Potato Research Centre in Fredericton. Researchers from Canada, France and New Zealand will use new discoveries about potato DNA, microbial life in the soil and insect behavior to find better ways to measure the health and quality of potato plants and tubers.
This investment under Growing Forward 2 has helped leverage $821,800 in industry contributions. Project partners include BioNB, Comité Nord Plants des Pommes de Terre, Quebec-based potato operations Ferme Daniel Bolduc Inc. and Maxi-Sol Inc., Plant and Food Research New Zealand, Potatoes New Brunswick and France-based company Comptoir Commercial des Lubrifiants (CCL).
Jeff English
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
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