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(This is part of a series of stories about government funding available for Canadian cannabis businesses. The previous installment is available here.)
Cannabis-related agricultural businesses based in Alberta are eligible for provincial funding under two programs if they meet certain requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation told MJBizDaily.
However, the application window for both programs is currently closed, and prospective applicants for future programs are advised to monitor the province’s website for the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership program (Sustainable CAP).
No cannabis-related agricultural businesses qualified as of Sept. 18.
The two programs fall under Sustainable CAP, a federal-provincial joint initiative that replaced the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) earlier this year.
Alberta’s cannabis producers and processors were also eligible for cost-sharing initiatives through CAP, which ran from 2018 to early 2023.
The new Sustainable CAP runs to early 2028, so more opportunities could be available in the future.
Alberta’s portion for the five-year program amounts to 508 million Canadian dollars ($371 million).
A Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation spokesperson told MJBizDaily that cannabis-related agricultural businesses are eligible for the following two Sustainable CAP programs:
- The On-Farm Value-Added program, which is available to primary producers. It supports producers in adding value to their agricultural products by boosting sales, expanding production capacity, exploring market opportunities and creating jobs in the province of Alberta.
- The Value-Added program, which is available to processors. It supports the diversification and growth of Alberta’s value-added food and bio-industrial processors by investing in projects that increase company sales and production capacity, expand market opportunities, as well as job creation in the province.
“These programs do not have any restrictions around cannabis-related products, however cannabis-related agricultural businesses must qualify as Value-Added Products,” the ministry spokesperson said.
Value-Added Products “are defined as an agricultural product that has been transformed or upgraded into a new or upgraded value-added product through manipulation or enhancement through physical, chemical or thermal means,” the spokesperson said.
Matt Lamers can be reached at matt.lamers@mjbizdaily.com.
