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Canadian Food to Be Promoted to Millions Worldwide on India's "Food Network"
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Dec 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Canadian food, drink, and tourism will be showcased to the world as
millions of viewers tune in to a popular Indian cooking and travel
show this month. Starting this Saturday, December 22, New Delhi
Television (NDTV) Good Times will air ten weekly English-language
episodes, hosted by Indian celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani and filmed in
Canada, about our high-quality food and drinks, using some of the
country's most scenic locations as a backdrop.
"India is a very important market for Canadian farmers, particularly
for our canola and pulse industries," said Agriculture Minister Gerry
Ritz. "This series of cooking shows is a fantastic way to promote
some of our top-quality products directly to consumers in India and
around the world. This is just one more way our government is working
to increase the demand for Canadian agriculture and food products and
promote tourism, boosting the Canadian economy and creating more
jobs."
The special series entitled "Vicky Goes Foreign-Canada Tadka"
("Tadka" is the Hindi word for seasoning or spices added to Indian
dishes), was filmed in eight provinces across Canada in the summer
and early fall of this year. It will be broadcast to over 39 million
NDTV viewers in India alone, and to millions more internationally via
satellite networks and the Internet.
The ten episodes feature a combination of cooking demonstrations by
Canadian chefs and Chef Vicky, and visits to popular eateries and
tourist attractions. Canadian food and drinks featured in the series
include canola oil, pulses (peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas),
barley, potatoes, fish and seafood, wild rice, hemp, honey, cheese,
wine, icewine, and beer.
"I have used canola oil and pulses from Canada in the past and quite
love them. The quality and the taste are amazing," said Chef Vicky.
"I'm always on the lookout for all things new and exciting in food,
and Canada was a brand-new canvas for me as a chef. It was a complete
paradise, rich in fantastic produce, and I felt that it helped me in
taking my creativity in cuisine to another level."
This TV series began in Atlantic Canada as a follow-up to a tour
taken by Chef Vicky to the region last year with a group of Indian
food buyers and other chefs, organized by the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The four episodes taped in Atlantic
Canada were produced with support from ACOA and the provinces of
Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick. The other six episodes were filmed in Ontario, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta, with support from these provinces and
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canada Brand initiative with
in-kind support provided by the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Canada has an important trade relationship with India, as highlighted
by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent mission to India in
November. Exports of agriculture and agri-food products to India have
grown substantially in the past five years, from $474 million to over
$640 million in 2011. Pulses are Canada's most important agricultural
export to this market, worth over $633 million in 2011; Saskatchewan
alone exported around 88 per cent of Canada's agricultural exports to
India in the same year, most of which consisted of dried peas and
lentils.
BACKGROUNDER
Below is the list of air dates for the special series "Vicky Goes
Foreign-Canada Tadka," to be broadcast on NDTV Good Times.
The shows will also be posted to the NDTV Good Times website
(goodtimes.ndtv.com) and YouTube.
Episodes will be simultaneously aired and viewable to satellite
subscribers in Ontario and Quebec on Bell Fibe TV and in Ontario on
the Rogers Digital Cable Network and Cogeco, and will be aired on
other syndicated networks through NDTV's international distribution
to the United States, Australia, and Africa.
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NDTV Good Times "Vicky Goes Foreign-Canada Tadka"
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Schedule of Air Dates(i)
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Episode
No. Province or Region Air Date
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1 Newfoundland and Labrador December 22, 2012
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2 Nova Scotia December 29, 2012
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3 New Brunswick January 5, 2013
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4 Prince Edward Island January 12, 2013
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5 Ontario - Toronto January 19, 2013
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6 Ontario - Niagara January 26, 2013
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7 Saskatchewan February 2, 2013
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8 Alberta - Edmonton and Calgary February 9, 2013
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9 Alberta - Rocky Mountains February 16, 2013
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10 Manitoba February 23, 2013
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(i)Subject to change.
Contacts:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Jeff English
Press Secretary
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
jeffrey.english@agr.gc.ca
SOURCE: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
mailto:jeffrey.english@agr.gc.ca
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