Soutien aux exportations bioalimentaires (SEB) is a financial assistance program offered through the Export Fund aimed at accelerating projects to develop markets outside of the province by Québec agri-food businesses. The assistance is for enterprises that wish to:
- Better prepare and strengthen their export capacity;
- Diversify their markets outside of Québec
Eligible Clientele
For-profit and social economy agri-food enterprises that are legally incorporated in Québec, and which have an establishment in the province, that market agri-food products or food produced or processed in Québec.
Activities and eligible expenses
- To be eligible, a project must be aimed at the development of a new market or the diversification within a market, and which will incur eligible expenditures of at least $10,000 and include one or more of the activities showed in the table attached, carried out over a maximum period of 12 months.
Financial Assistance
- Financial assistance will take the form of a non-reimbursable contribution for up to 50% of eligible expenses.
- Export projects that reflect ministry priorities are eligible for enhanced assistance of 10%, which can increase the level of assistance up to 60% of eligible expenditures. Projects that involve the marketing of organic foods, foods of good nutritional quality or improved nutritional value or ones that promote health, or foods for which the development, production or marketing are part of a sustainable development approach, could also benefit from this bonus allocation.
Criteria for analysis
The Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAC) will analyze admissible applications based on the following criteria:
- Assessment of the incentive nature of the financial assistance compared to the financial situation of the enterprise (this assessment will take into account the enterprise’s equity situation in relation to the amount of the assistance and any dividends paid in relation to net profits)
- Alignment of the project and the enterprise’s business model
- Capacity of the enterprise to complete the project
- Assessment of the risk associated with project activities
- Assessment of the potential impacts of the project
Conditions
An enterprise that wants to receive financial assistance from the SEB program must satisfy all general conditions as well as the following:
- If the enterprise has 50 or more employees, it must hold or be in the process of obtaining a francisation certificate, in order to respect the provisions of the Charter of the French Language (CQLR, chapter C-11, sections 135 to 154).
- If it has more than 100 employees and the financial assistance awarded is $100,000 or more, undertake to implement an equality program that complies with the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (CQLR, chapter C-12) as the enterprise is then subject to the contractual obligation program.
- Adhere to ethical behaviours that are not likely to tarnish, even by association, the image of integrity and probity of the government.
More information about the program
Download the eligible activities and expenses table
