The AgriPost
April 25, 2025
Manitoba Backs New Global Cereals Innovation Hub with $13M Investment
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew praised the investment’s strategic importance. “We’re looking for more places to do business—we’re looking for more opportunities—because agriculture is the backbone of our western Canadian and our Manitoba economies,” Kinew said. Submitted photo
By Harry Siemens Cereals Canada announced it has received $13 million in new funding from the Government of Manitoba to support the development of the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate), a state-of-theart facility designed to drive innovation and expand global market access for Canadian cereal grains. The investment brought Gates’ total raised to $31.5 million. The facility will be headquartered at Cereals Canada’s downtown Winnipeg location and aims to secure Canada’s position as a world leader in cereal exports through advanced technical support, innovation, and strategic marketing.
“This is a substantial investment from the Government of Manitoba for the future of Canadian cereals,” said Dean Dias, CEO of Cereals Canada. “Gate is an essential investment in diversifying our markets and mitigating trade risk, providing global buyers with trusted technical knowledge and expertise, and maintaining Canada’s leadership as a consistent supplier of high-quality cereal grains.” With Canadian cereal exports valued at $11.9 billion in 2024, Gate is in a position to play a crucial role in sustaining and growing Canada’s global market share. Canada expects to export 26.2 million tonnes of wheat this year alone, rank-
ing second globally and first in high-protein, high-quality wheat exports. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew praised the investment’s strategic importance. “We’re looking for more places to do business—we’re looking for more opportunities—because agriculture is the backbone of our western Canadian economy and our Manitoba economy,” Kinew said. “The Gate project is an amazing opportunity for us to do a ton of heavy lifting to bring our goods to market.” Kinew added, “This is a good long-term investment in ensuring the backbone of our Western Canadian economy stays strong.”
The announcement occurred inside Cereals Canada’s pilot bakery, one of six technical labs in the Winnipeg headquarters. These facilities have been essential to Canadian cereal innovation and customer service for over 50 years. “For over five decades, these specialized laboratories have provided world-class technical support, advocacy, and expertise to ensure customer success,” said Dias. “Gate will allow us to scale up those resources, maintain and grow markets, and strengthen industry relationships, which is vital for the long-term resilience of Canada’s cereals sector.” Continued on Page 2...
MB Government Providing $150 Million for Agricultural Producers The Manitoba government will provide farmers and producers with more than $150 million in supports, including $10 million to match federal AgriStability funding. “We’re standing up for Westman and Western Canada, and protecting your jobs,” said Premier Wab Kinew. “With $150 million in supports for agriculture, we’re making sure that farmers and producers can weather the economic uncertainty we’re facing and protecting jobs in the agriculture industry.” The Manitoba government will provide $10 million in additional matching funds for the AgriStability program, as well as $140.8 million for business risk management programming including AgriInsurance, Wildlife Damage Compensation and AgriInvest. The premier noted the province is also working with farmers, producers and businesses to protect jobs, strengthen Manitoba’s economy and respond to tariffs from China and the United States, in addition to working with Keystone Agricultural Producers toward a number of shared goals to support Manitoba agriculture including: - identifying opportunities to remove regulatory barriers to grow value-added food processing businesses; - advancing trade work in Manitoba’s interest including collaboration with other provinces and engagement with key U.S. states critical to Manitoba’s trading relationship that will be hurt by potential tariffs; and - advocating to the federal government and working to deliver policies and investments in value-added processing, improvements to business risk management programs and access to the capital producers need. Continued on Page 3...