June 6, 2016, Penticton, BC – The B.C. government’s 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.
The extra funding was announced recently with BC Fruit Growers’ Association representatives and local growers in attendance.
“The replant program is critical to the renewal and growth of our industry, especially for cherry and apple production and the popularity of the program has caught everyone by surprise,” said Fred Steele, president of the BCFGA. “The new funding announced today will help accelerate renewal and this is very positive news for growers.”
For the 2016-17 season, it is estimated that $300,000 of the new funding will be available and 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 will be available on the Ministry of Agriculture website this fall. Additional information is available here: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/treefruit-replant-program
“We heard loud and clear from growers that the replant program is a huge success for replanting low-value orchards with high-demand varieties like Ambrosia and Honeycrisp apples and late-season cherries,” said Dan Ashton, MLA for Penticton. “This funding commitment will provide even more farming families with the chance to earn a higher income as they continue to support their local community.”
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