JANUARY 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Fund aims to give BC fruit growers a


competitive edge New branding, packing upgrades


by TOM WALKER


KELOWNA – A $5 million competitiveness fund for the tree fruit industry announced in February is now taking applications. “I truly believe that with a little support, the BC tree fruit sector will continue to seize the opportunities that you’ve told me about and you will continue to grow,” BC agriculture minister Lana Popham told the BC Fruit Growers Association annual convention last February. Some of the funding –


more than $1 million – will cover projects undertaken as part of BC’s long-running replant program, which has been oversubscribed in each of the past four years. However, the majority will focus on three priority areas a strategic analysis of the industry identified this past July: research, including developing new cultivars and improving current growing practices; marketing at home and abroad, as well as value- added opportunities; and infrastructure modernization. “We are looking for some big bold proposals that will help bring the industry to the next level,” says Glen Lucas, general manager of the BCFGA, which is


administering the funding in partnership with the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. “We are looking to get on with it.” When funds for replant


projects are paid out, there will be less than $4 million available for other projects. “There won’t be a lot of


money,” Lucas says. “It’s a four- year program so there will be less than $1 million for each year after we fund the replant program.” Potential projects include


drafting a “solid design” for new packing house infrastructure or developing a new brand marketing program. Lucas notes that additional competitiveness funding may be sought through the province’s Buy BC program.


Summerland researchers


are developing a number of promising new apple varieties, but they’re a long way from being commercially available. Other countries are undertaking variety development, too. “We need to be on guard with that and be sure our quality remains high,” Lucas


says. Growers whose


performance is below average need to be supported so they're ready for the new varieties.“When those new Summerland apples are released, it will likely not be open, free access, but in the form of a ‘club’ variety,” Lucas says. Growers would be given the right to grow and sell the new apple variety into a limited market, and in turn they agree to produce to a certain quality standard and invest in marketing, Lucas explains. This would give growers a better chance at higher returns. There’s also the potential to


develop an Okanagan brand that emphasizes low-residue production practices through programs such as the Sterile Insect Release program. That’s where marketing funds are important. “The strategic analysis is


also saying don’t compete head-to-head with mass- market producers,” says Lucas. “We need to be thoughtful, innovative and target niche markets.”


Some of those markets


may be in North America or they may be overseas through CETA or the new CP- TPP, he adds.


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BC Tree Fruits’ cherry sorting line in Kelowna is due for an upgrade. JUDIE STEEVES FILE PHOTO The market drives


everything, Lucas emphasizes. “We need to get info to our


producers and tune up our system,” he says. “We need to produce the right product for the markets and get our co-op on the right track to perform well – to pack those apples efficiently with modern infrastructure.” The new apple and peach


packing line the co-op unveiled in Oliver last spring is efficient, but its $3 million cherry sorter installed in Kelowna in 2014 is no longer state-of-the-art. “I suspect the committee will look at helping the co-op modernize and make them the leading competitor in the world,” says Lucas.


Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund


The Province of BC has provided funding to enhance the competitiveness of the tree fruit sector.


The fund is open to tree fruit growers, producers, and processors to support three key areas of priority: ● Research: cultivar, disease and pest research. ● Marketing: export market opportunities and market development research.


● Infrastructure: sector-based infrastructure modernization such as new equipment.


The Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund is jointly delivered by the BC Fruit Growers’ Association and Investment Agriculture Foundation BC.


For details about the Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund, including eligibility, deadlines and application forms, please visit www.bcfga.com or iafbc.ca/tree-fruit, or contact funding@iafbc.ca.


A preliminary report on project selection criteria and priorities is available at the BCFGA website, www.bcfga.com/322/Tree+Fruit+Competitiveness+Program


Mark Driediger, CFP, Senior Wealth Advisor Assante Financial Management Ltd. www.MarkDriediger.com | (604) 859-4890


BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION 1-800-619-9022 (ext 1) email: replant@bcfga.com www.bcfga.com


The upgrades could usher in a new era for the industry. “There has been a lot of modernization and effort going in at the grower level to change over to new varieties,”


says Lucas. “The report outlines a number of opportunities to do things a little better, which is particularly crucial in our high-cost environment.”


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