Fred Steele
The wheels keep turning as we progress into a bright new future for the tree fruit industry. Before exploring where we are going I would like to take a moment for reflection on where we have recently come from.
The first sign of good news is the state of the industry itself. For the first time in thirty-two years the apple industry stopped shrinking and actually grew ever so slightly. The recent seven year replant program was the new beginning we were looking for. Yes it came with logistical problems but the industry and government were able to make it a success. The problem was the time frame and the ability of growers to act quickly resulting in over subscription to the first year of the program. Not many new ventures can claim a program was too successful.
With the over-subscription of the Replant Program, the solution was more funding. We developed new skills in fund raising to come to a constructive conclusion. The Government of British Columbia and the BCFGA were able to satisfy the requests for BCFGA Members who met the requirement of the application process. So where does this leave us? Apples are back and with new varieties and potential new markets the future is brighter, while cherries have exploded in terms of export production and market development.
We need to expand production to meet demand, we need to find financing to plant new acreage that has not been in production for decades or never before. We need to acquire new technology, new equipment and storage for anticipated new yields of apples and cherries.
In January of this year, the real work began on finding solutions after more than a year of searching for avenues of opportunity.
As in any venture teamwork is the key to success. In the aftermath of the federal election a new direction for Canada began.
The new face of government saw a new representative for Kelowna-Lake Country Member of Parliament Steven Fuhr. He was upfront saying ‘I don’t know a great deal about the Agriculture Industry but I am prepared to learn’. It didn’t take long either. Mr. Fuhr was able to facilitate a meeting in Ottawa with the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture (second only to the Minister). We got an opportunity to present our challenges and possible solutions to the Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon. Jean-Claude Poissant. The discussion soon turned into the prospect of a National program, and a possible way to finance it.
Financing of the program is the key as fruit trees take a few years to grow. Farmers can plant, but they can’t sustain the lack of capital for three years before they realize a crop. We have a Replant Program, but there is not a program available for tree fruit not eligible for replant (i.e. the land to which the trees are planted have not been in tree fruits in the past five years, if ever). It is to that end we are looking for temporary
relief. At the time of this writing those details are not yet available however other building blocks required for a successful proposal are being worked out. Of the provinces contacted all are in favor and the exchange of ideas has begun. It is hoped we can have a proposal nationally before the Canadian Horticulture Council Convention in March. Ideally, we will begin fleshing out the details to present to the Federal Government to launch a program before the end of 2016.
That would be one problem overcome with cooperation and solutions, the second issue is infrastructure. Aging infrastructure for the BC Tree Fruit Co-operative and private packers is a hurdle the industry must clear to process the expanding crops. There is new funding for such innovative programs in the new direction of government. Much of the programming falls into the environmental category and if we tailor our needs around the requirements of government programs I believe we will be eligible for funding partnerships with government.
We are gearing up for a few years down the road. Getting the trees in the ground and crops grown, getting the support needed to store, pack and sell fruit in expanded capacity and retool efforts to acquire new niche markets is going to take time. It will see both success and disappointments as is the case with renewal in any field.
There are a host of issues coming our way in areas such as food safety, how we are going to manage wildlife and keep them from destroying new plantings and crops?
How do we plan to manage water resources in drought conditions and climate change?
How rapidly can we adapt to combating invasive pests?
There are a host of issues and a myriad of solutions and it will be our job to determine the best solutions possible. I am a person who believes in the growers' ability to come to the right decisions. As an optimist, I believe challenges are offset by solutions as opposed to finding a problem for every solution.
How does the new year look? In my view, I believe its the year we turn the corner and start down the road to prosperity we have been searching for.
Fred Steele, President BCFGA