New plan to support B.C.’s tree fruit sector

Nov 12, 2021 | 12:48 PM

A new provincial plan has a number of recommendations that will support B.C.’s tree fruit producers.

The Path Forward: A Blueprint for B.C.’s Tree Fruit Industry report released Friday was created by an external advisory group who had consulted with industry stakeholders to find out how best to address challenges the fruit growing sector is facing, particularly when it comes to apple production.

The report states that fruit growing is an important industry for the province. In 2019, the sector contributed $201-million to B.C.’s GDP, of which $114-million was labour income that sustained 2,500 jobs, generating approximately $27-million in provincial taxes and $6-million in local government taxes in the process.

The Blueprint notes that fruit growers have faced some extreme challenges over the past years, including the pandemic and the loss of crops due to weather-related events. There has also been a decrease in acreage and profitability over the last decade.

To address those issues, a series of recommendations have been put forward by the advisory group.

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Leadership, Governance and Direction: It’s recommended a new industry agency, governed by board members representing all sectors of the industry, is established to create long-term strategic plans, and encourage inter-agency coordination and collaboration.

Data Strategy: Develop and implement a data strategy for the tree fruit sector that will set benchmarks to measure the success of new policies or programs introduced to the industry.

Labour Supply and Housing Challenges: Create a comprehensive agriculture-centric labour strategy that support efforts to access labour pools, and to make it available to industry leaders and decision makers.

Extension Services: Enhanced governmental support and contribution to horticulture and extension services.

Development of New Varieties: Have industry leaders establish a comprehensive process to support the acquisition, development, commercialization, and marketing of new varieties and new value-added products.

Marketing, Sales, and the Power of Retailers: Have the government and industry work together to develop and implement a coordinated 5-10 year Market Development Strategy for B.C. produced tree fruits that would identify priority markets to access, development, and maintenance. The strategy should also include a rolling 2-3 year industry marketing and sales plan.

It’s also suggested that the province work with federal, provincial and territorial counterparts to implement a retail code of practice.

Fruit Quality Versus Quantity: Industry is advised to create globally competitive and consistent fruit quality standards and criteria, with a supporting marketing strategy.

Increased Use of Innovation and Technology: Have industry determine and act on ways that innovation and technology can support the sector.

Addressing Pests Impacting B.C. Apples: Conduct an assessment of the Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program to determine the value it provides to the apple industry. If the results show the program to be critical to the success of the industry and its viability is at risk, then funding models that support the producer portion of the program costs should be considered.

Addressing the Impact of Climate Change: Have the province, in partnership with other agencies, develop a program to support the development of local irrigation systems to address the impact of drought, climate change and water shortages.

B.C. Government Financial Support: Investigate opportunities to respond to requests from organizations in the B.C. tree fruit sector to provide one-time support to producers experiencing financial difficulties.

It’s also recommended that the province realign the way it provides financial contributions to the industry or individual farmers in support of sound business management practices.

The government is also advises to ensure any expenditures from the Tree Fruit Competitiveness Program reflect key elements of the Tree Fruit Industry Stabilization Plan. It’s recommended that financial contributions from the fund should support initiatives have sound business rational and benefit the sector as a whole.

The creation of a provincial program focused on supporting industry efforts to plant commodities that are commercially viable is also recommended. That includes the planting of modern varieties that are proven to grow well under local climactic conditions and offer significant and reasonable market opportunities for B.C. farmers.

B.C. Government Ongoing Programs: Have the province improve the understanding and application of several Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries programs to benefit the full agriculture industry.

Encouraging Support for Bona Fide Farmers: Establish a method to distinguish persons who are actively farming and producing agricultural products from persons who own land that is generally used for non-agriculture purposes.

Agricultural Land Reserve and Agricultural Land Commission: Have the province and Agricultural Land Commission work together to achieve the Commission’s stated objective to ensure agricultural production remains the primary use of the Agricultural Land reserve while supporting economic opportunities for farmers to be financially viable.

Local Government: Ensure the province works with local government to coordinate approaches to the industry.

“B.C.’s tree fruit growers play a key role in our province’s food system and our government is committed to the industry’s lasting prosperity,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.

“The recommendations from this plan provide a clear path on how the sector can change course as we all work together to ensure the economic viability and ongoing legacy of this century-old industry.”

The province plans to work with the leaders in B.C.’s fruit growing industry to implement the recommendations in the report. It’s also noted that progress will be monitored throughout the implementation of the plans to ensure the sector is on a solid path moving forward.

by Liam Verster

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