The Québec government is providing up to $4 million in financial support to encourage people to purchase their food directly from agricultural producers and artisan processors.
The Proximité 2024-2026 initiative of Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries André Lamontagne supports local marketing and agritourism initiatives.
“I am very happy with this new support which will promote local marketing and help bring consumers even closer to those who feed us! The supported projects will make it possible to offer Québecers even more fresh, quality products. I invite businesses and business groups from across the territory to submit their projects,” Lamontagne said.
Local marketing makes it possible to support joint planning for the marketing of local products or to finance projects aimed at better positioning a company’s products on local markets. In addition, by establishing a more direct link with consumers, companies are able to better understand demand and adapt the products they offer.
Producers and processors may submit their requests for support from the Proximité 2024-2026 initiative until October 31, 2024, or until the available funding is exhausted.
In Québec, one in five agricultural businesses sell directly to consumers, either in a public market or directly on the farm.
Last year, the initiative supported 132 projects for total assistance offered totaling $2.75 million.
