More Help for Scottish Companies
10 February 2011
Twenty-two Scottish food and drink businesses are set to benefit from a £3m investment in the latest round of Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Scheme (FPMC) awards.
The scheme has so far injected over £25m of vital funding into small to medium enterprises and businesses across Scotland.
Speaking at a visit to previous FPMC beneficiary, Nairn's Oatcakes in Edinburgh, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, said: "Scotland has a growing reputation as one of the world's finest producers of quality food, and demand for the fruits of our wonderful natural larder is on the up.
"This latest funding will provide essential support to food and drink companies from Shetland to Angus, Aberdeenshire to Galashiels and Inverness-shire to the central belt.
"Some of our biggest opportunities lie in the food and drink sector, which saw sales increase by £1bn over 2007-08 from £10.2bn to £11.2bn. With demand for food on the increase, Scotland's food producers are in a strong position going forward."
The FPMC is a competitive funding scheme under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The SRDP is designed to develop rural Scotland from 2007 to 2013.
Individuals and groups may seek funding from the programme to help deliver the Government's strategic objectives in rural Scotland.
For further information about the recipients please visit the Scottish Government.
