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Canadian Pulse Industry Receives $15 Million Research Investment (PCN Fall 2013) OCT 21 2013 | Consumers and Producers | Pulse Crop News

This article appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of Pulse Crop News.

On July 29th, 2013, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Gerry Ritz showed strong support for Canada’s pulse industry when he announced an investment of up to $15 million in funding for strategic pulse-based research through the federal government’s AgriInnovation Program.

Alberta Pulse Growers’ President Richard Krikke feels this funding sends a clear message about the important role of pulses in the future of Canada’s agriculture and food industry.

“As one of the world’s largest producers of pulses, Canada relies on growers to produce top-quality pulse crops, and in turn, we as growers rely on research to make pulse crops easier to grow and market,” says Krikke. “We are pleased that the important research we undertake on behalf of our growers will continue thanks to this generous funding.”

A Canada-wide partnership between all pulse organizations, the five-year Pulse Science Cluster supports a variety of projects, with an emphasis on improving pulse variety development; disease and pest management; new crop agronomy and management; processing and utilization of pulses and pulse fractions in food products; and health knowledge for increased pulse consumption.

Each project has been carefully selected by the pulse industry to increase the sustainability, profitability, and competitiveness of Canadian pulse producers, according to Krikke.

“By investing in this research, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has truly invested in our growers – the men and women in the field feeding the world with their high-quality pulse crops,” Krikke says. “With that in mind, Alberta Pulse Growers will work closely with our industry partners over the next five years to ensure our growers receive the best possible return on that investment, through new varieties, new production best practices, and new marketing opportunities.”