BC Agriculture and Food Export Program
The BC Agriculture and Food Export Program is funded under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – a five-year (2023 to 2028) investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow the agriculture and food sector. The program aims to increase sales, reduce market risk, and enhance long-term sustainability for B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage exporters by providing cost-shared funding to undertake market development activities outside of B.C. that enable sector businesses and associations to maintain, expand and/or diversify export markets.
Eligible Applicants
To be considered eligible for cost-shared funding through the Program, organizations must meet the following criteria:
Be a primary agriculture producer; an agriculture, food and beverage and/or seafood processor; an agriculture, food and beverage cooperative; or, a recognized agriculture, food and/or beverage and/or seafood industry association, board or council;
Note: Please refer to the Program Guide for additional eligibility criteria by organization type
Have a head office in B.C. or be entitled (including being appropriately registered, licensed or certified, as appropriate) to do business in B.C.;
Be selling or marketing a product that is grown or processed in B.C.;
Have the ability to provide, and commit to providing, a minimum percentage of the total Project budget in cash, towards eligible Project costs as follows:
- 50% for producers, processors and cooperatives;
- 30% for industry associations, boards, or councils;
Have total annual gross revenues greater than $100,000 for the two most recent consecutive years (only applies to producers, processors and cooperatives)
Please note that fishers and seafood harvesters are not eligible to receive funding under the BC Agriculture and Food Export Program.
Eligible Activities
For a project to be funded through the Program, an application must include one or more of the three eligible activities below:
Participating in interprovincial/international tradeshows, food fairs, and sales exhibitions to connect with commercial buyers, including associated costs related to booth rentals, booth accessories and services, translators (if event primarily includes non-English speakers), meeting buyers on the margins of the event, or shipping product samples to and from the event.
Note: expenses related to consumer-focused tradeshows or events are not eligible to receive project funding.
Consumer-Focused Promotional Activities in Export Markets
Conducting consumer-focused retail or food service promotions in export markets, including associated costs such as hiring brand ambassadors, renting pop-up booths, purchasing serving utensils, or shipping samples to and from the retail or food service establishment.
Developing export-focused marketing materials, including videos, brochures, rack cards, posters, banners, recipe cards or point-of-sale signage for retail or food service promotions (e.g., shelf talkers, menu inserts, etc.).
Delivering paid advertising campaigns (print, radio, TV, digital) to promote specific products. Hiring a third-party social media contractor in a specific export market for community management, social outreach, content curation and analytics to promote specific products in export markets.
Translating online or print communications to a foreign language to promote a specific product(s) in export markets.
Note: Google Search Ads are not an eligible activity output under the Program
Funding Limits
Applicants may apply under one of two funding streams:
Producers and Processors
For producers, processors and cooperatives, funding is available from a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $50,000 per year or 30% of the previous year’s annual revenues (whichever is lower).
Industry Associations
For industry associations, boards and councils, funding is available from a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $75,000 per year.
Anticipated Program Timelines
| Application Intake Opens | January, 8 2024 |
| Program Information Session (online webinar) | January 10, 2024 |
| Application Intake Closes | February 2, 2024 at 16:00 PST |
| Application Review | February 5 to March 29, 2024 |
| Anticipated Project Start Date | April 1, 2024 |
| Project Completion Deadline | March 1, 2025 |
Application Assessment
All complete Program applications received will be evaluated only on the information submitted and will not be considered if they do not meet eligibility criteria. Eligible applications will be reviewed using a merit-based review process to allocate available cost-share funding to projects that best align with the assessment criteria.
For details, refer to the Program Guide