The BC Fruit Growers鈥� Association (BCFGA) is glad to see support for local farmers in the 2021 provincial budget.

Although the B.C. government is projecting a $9.7-billion deficit for this year, the provincial Agriculture Ministry will receive a $4.4-million increase to its core budget, which now sits close to $100 million.

BCFGA general manager Glen Lucas said the investment is a step in the right direction.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e been working to, to change the direction. There were years where the agriculture budget went down,鈥� said Lucas.

鈥淐ertainly, we鈥檝e seen it stabilize and increase slightly here. That鈥檚 welcomed news.鈥�

The lift will help to expand work on the Buy BC, Feed BC and Grow BC programs, with each initiative receiving $3.41 million over the next three years, totalling $10 million.

The Buy BC program promotes and markets a wide variety of local agriculture, food and beverage products, while the Feed BC initiative focuses on increasing the use of locally grown and processed foods in hospitals, schools, and other government facilities. Grow BC is designed to help young farmers access land, while also supporting fruit and nut growers and processors to expand local food production.

Around $35 million of the ag ministry budget will go towards supporting the centralized quarantine program for foreign workers arriving in the summer for the cherry-picking season.

鈥淭here鈥檚 some expenditure that鈥檚 already been made, not through the ministry of agriculture, but through a COVID-19 recovery fund, that has really helped out the free fruit sector and more generally the horticulture sector,鈥� said Lucas.

鈥淲e get over 7,000 workers a year. They get quarantined in Richmond. That really helps out our sector and keeps the workers safe.鈥�

After experiencing two years of challenges brought on by intense periods of rain and frost, he said that he expects the cherry sector to bounce back this year.

鈥淭here have been impacts there from those two tough years, but I think the cherry sector looks towards these programs and hopefully some of them enhance access to foreign markets and to develop new crop protection techniques and so on,鈥� he said.

He noted the apple sector is also on a downturn, as work is being done with the government to develop a tree-fruit stabilization initiative.

鈥淲e are looking for more programs and help for that sector. We hope that there鈥檚 room within the agriculture budget to help out,鈥� he said.

An additional $7 million from last year鈥檚 budget will go towards supporting the development of food hubs, farm innovation and food processing. $7.5 million is being allocated to agri-tech initiatives by the B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

鈥淔rom an overall perspective, it鈥檚 a good trend and trajectory for the agriculture budget,鈥� said Lucas.

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鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to that continuing in the future.鈥�