Page 14 - FDI Alliance International Magazine, July 2019 Interactive Issue_Neat

When it comes to agribusiness in Canada, there competitive. When you factor in the weather, crop As a most recent example of majour investment,
is no place like the warm “banana belt” known as heat unit (CHU) days, soil quality, and availability of Whyte’s, a leading Canadian-owned prepared
Chatham-Kent. Located in southwestern Ontario, infrastructure and foreign manufacturing, it’s easy food manufacturer and importer, has expanded
Chatham-Kent is the largest municipality in the to see why companies are choosing to be here.” – from Quebec into a new facility located in the
province with over 2,450 square kilometers of the Prashant Pathak, CEO, Ekagrata Inc. Chatham-Kent town of Wallaceburg.
richest farm soil. It is surrounded by fresh water, and
is only an hour drive to seven U.S. entry points. All Agriculture also plays a key role in the agribusinesses The Chatham-Kent Economic Development Team
of this means that farmers and businesses, including located within the region. For example, the
the food processing industry, have significant headquarters for Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited, a The team at the Chatham-Kent Economic
advantages over their competition. division of DuPont and a major agricultural seed Development are available to help businesses,
breeding and biotechnology company, are located both local and international, become an integrated
Michael Burton, Director of Investment Attraction in Chatham-Kent. GreenField Specialty Alcohols member of the community.
says “this provides our processors with a distinct Inc.'s Commercial Alcohols division, Canada's
competitive advantage in penetrating the US market. largest ethanol plant and one of the world's largest, In order to simplify the investment process,
Abundant feedstock of fresh vegetables with over is also located in Chatham-Kent. businesses who are ready to invest in Chatham-
75 varieties of crops makes Chatham-Kent an
excellent site for new food companies that wish to
establish North American operations.”

Chatham-Kent has assets vital to supporting value-
added food processing operations, the greenhouse
sector, and other similar agribusiness. In addition,
the Chatham-Kent Economic Development team
provides direct support for both domestic and
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) initiatives to ensure
that all investments yield their maximum potential.

Agriculture and Agribusiness in Chatham-Kent

Agriculture is a $3 billion economic driver for the
Chatham-Kent region with local crops including
tomatoes, carrots, seed corn, cucumber, Brussels
sprouts, pumpkins, sugar beets, and more. We also
feature some year-round crops such as peppers and
tomatoes which are grown in the ever expanding
greenhouse industry.

“Chatham-Kent is the ideal location to invest
as the natural endowments of the area make it

14 FDI ALLIANCE | JULY ISSUE 2019