BC Replant Program
The B.C. government’s popular seven-year tree fruit replant program will now assist even more growers with an additional $1 million in funding over the duration of the program, Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson and Penticton MLA Dan Ashton announced, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick.
The announcement, with BC Fruit Growers’ Association representatives and local growers in attendance, was made in the Okanagan Valley. The new funding is to support B.C.’s tree fruit growers who have made the decision to replant their orchards with high-value, high-quality fruit varieties that are enjoyed by consumers locally and around the world.
For the 2016-17 season, it is estimated that $300,000 of the new funding will be available and this will assist more than two dozen additional projects with 122 additional acres being replanted. In total, the Province’s tree fruit replant program is committing $9.4 million that will see at least 1,600 acres replanted by 2021, providing more than 2,600 jobs each year for the Okanagan.
The application intake for the 2016-17 season was so successful it was significantly oversubscribed and has now closed. The new funding applications for the 2017-18 season are on the Ministry of Agriculture website.