Maritime Ministers Discuss Joint Efforts

Maritime ministers of agriculture held productive discussions focusing on regional co-operation in a number of key areas at their annual meeting held Monday in Amherst.

"It was a very productive day," said Agriculture and Marketing Minister Ed Lorraine. "There are a number of areas where we need to look at taking a more co-ordinated approach and we made some headway in a number of areas at this meeting."

Joining Mr. Lorraine were Stuart Jamieson, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for New Brunswick, and Eric Hammill, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry for Prince Edward Island.

Among the issues discussed was the possibility of establishing a Maritime Potato Council, which would monitor, co-ordinate and promote a quality product, a possible Maritime brand name and joint regional marketing initiatives. Discussions were also held on the possibility of identifying co-operative projects to promote maritime produce with partners in the United States and establishing a educational and technology exchange program with Latin America partners with assistance from the Canadian International Development Agency.

A Maritime Potato Council would follow the lead taken recently with the establishment of the Maritime Beef Development and Marketing Group. The beef group involves government, industry and producer organizations in promoting quality, co-ordinating marketing efforts and increasing public awareness of the industry. Each province provided $20,000 for startup.

The ministers also discussed the export of Maritime breeding stock to Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico, as well as import and export opportunities for produce during the off-season and the co-ordination of Maritime trade missions.

Officials from the Atlantic Lotto and Maritime Racing commissions updated the ministers on the region's harness racing industry, and the ministers reaffirmed their support for the direction being taken in this dynamic sector.