MJBizDaily Publishes Series on Government Funding for Canadian Producers

In the first article of a series, MJBiz Daily reported “More Canadian cannabis companies are tapping government funding sources to finance research and other projects as private-sector capital has become harder to come by.”

That article, written by MJBiz Daily International Editor Matt Lamers, was published September 28, 2023 with the title “Canadian cannabis companies tap government funding programs.”

Lamers wrote, “MJBizDaily found that more than 3 million Canadian dollars ($2.2 million) worth of federal funding was provided to almost two dozen companies over the past year, according to the government’s Grants and Contributions portal.”

The second article, published October 3, 2023, reported that “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.”

The latest installment, published November 16, 2023, reported that the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food explained via email that “federally licensed and commercial cannabis production is eligible for many of its programs and services.”

The author wrote, “Federally licensed cannabis producers in British Columbia are eligible to apply for a host of government programs, some of which provide funding, including the provincial portion of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.”


Can Canadian Producers Export Excess Supply?

With media reporting oversupply challenges in the Canadian cannabis industry, can producers turn to export markets to sell their inventory? The answer might be yes. As countries around the world legalize cannabis, new opportunities are emerging for producers in Canada.

Canadian companies have been exporting cannabis for several years already. In fact, back in June 2020, MJBizDaily published a two-part article on Canada’s export of medical cannabis during 2019. Part 1 was titled, “Canada exported record amount of dried cannabis in 2019…” Part 2 reported, “Canadian exports of medical cannabis oil jumped fivefold in 2019.”

Canadian Regulatory Review reported in September of 2020 that the Canadian government had even become supportive of cannabis exports. “On the export side, and to further bolster trade, as of January 2020, the federal government through Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service extended trade commissioner services for Canadian cannabis companies exporting cannabis for medical and scientific purposes.”

A few months after that article, in April 2021, Prohibition Partners released a report called “Revealed: The Canadian Cannabis Export Market for 2020.” The report notes that the largest export markets for Canada at the time were Germany, Australia, Israel and the United Kingdom. “…new data shows a huge increase in the exports of cannabis from the country in 2020, as well as a changing network of countries that are importing from established producers in Canada.”

In May of that same year, Business of Cannabis took “A look at Canadian cannabis exports,” noting that “Dried cannabis flower and cannabis oil exports more than doubled in 2020, while imports dropped to virtually zero…”

An article titled, “How Canada’s Oversupply of Cannabis Is an Export Opportunity,” was published in October of 2022 by Canadian Cannabis Exchange. “As the demand for cannabis legalization increases internationally, Canada has the opportunity to become the world leader in cannabis exports… The European Union is proving to be a lucrative market for Canadian exports.”