UPDATE: 4:15 p.m.
Following a suite of policy changes coming this summer to help BC’s hurting wine industry, the province has announced an extra $70 million dollars to help replant and strengthen fruit orchards and vineyards.
Speaking at a wine industry conference in Penticton Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture and Food Pam Alexis announced the increased funding, with a focus on climate resilient varietals of grapes, fruit and cherries.
She was later joined by Premier David Eby, who video conferenced in to tell the more than 250 attendees that the province has their back.
"We’re with you, we’ll stay with you and let's get planning," Eby added.
"The farmers of British Columbia are so critical to our province, the security of our food. We see the challenges internationally around food security, and that's going to affect us."
The premier added that the $70 million replanting program should hopefully "go a long way" in getting growers of fruits across the province back on their feet.
Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell spoke on the suite of policy changes coming for the summer season, including more support for tours that allow people to sit and enjoy a glass of wine while on a tour, permits allowing sales for more places on site, more flexibility on sampling, and selling products in picnic areas.
"All of this while making it clear that it's okay to bring your glass of wine from one service area to the other," he said to the room, followed by a round of applause
"We recognize the $3.75 billion contribution, we recognize those 14,000 jobs, we recognize how deeply embedded in this part of the world the industry is and how important it is," he said.
The government is also establishing a B.C. wine-grape sector task force to develop a research and varietal road map for the local industry. The task force will run for two years and provide practical recommendations to producers and the industry about how to remain profitable and resilient.
Industry leaders spoke to Castanet News on the importance of support to not only wine industry members but the province as a whole.
"We know that any investment they make will come back multiple fold. I mean, we're a $3.7 billion industry. So it's not just about wine. It's about as I say, wine, tourism and restaurants and everyone across the province takes advantage of our industry, if not by enjoying it in a glass, but certainly by the impact that we have on the province," Miles Proden, president of Wine Growers BC said.
Dan Paszkowski, the president of Wine Growers Canada said the tourism that's developed around the valley in terms of resorts, golf courses, and UBC is centred around the wine industry.
"So the value added contribution of the wine industry to Kelowna to Penticton to the entire Okanagan Valley revolves around the wine and grape industry to a very large extent. And it hasn't even come close to its full its full potential," he added.
"So if we can grow back the industry, that's going to contribute to the British Columbia economy and contribute to the well being of all British Columbians and all Canadians.
He said being representative at the national level, he's taking a cue from the provinces in terms of engaging discussions with the federal government to address issues related to income stabilization, purchasing of grapes and the replant of the crops in the Okanagan over the next couple of couple of years
It was announced on Saturday the government would cap the excise duty increase from 4.7 per cent down to two per cent.
The wine industry insight conference was hosted by Wine Growers British Columbia with the Wine Grape Council, BC Wine Grape Growers, and also the BC Wine Institute.
They all agree there is still much more to be done to help growers and producers heading forward, as they look at years of rebuilding.
Chris Wyse, the president of Burrowing Owl Winery in the South Okanagan, said there are a lot of unknowns still.
"We're all concerned. We hope we'll get through it. There's lots of ideas on the table how we'll handle the harvest coming up, some wineries will be affected more than others. The frost probably won't be universal," he said.
"But I think right now we're working together, I think we're pulling together as an industry, we want to support each other. And make sure that as a BC wine region, we stay strong."
Proden added that any funding announcement is just the start of the process.
"This isn't money that's a gift. There needs to be some thoughtful work put behind where does that money go in replacing what grape and where. It's just not a simple matter of replacing what was damaged, we need to be thoughtful and making sure the right grape is placed in the right place," he said.
"We've got the knowledge and the resiliency and the skill in our vineyard and wine industry to do that, but certainly, this will be a huge step and the first down the road."
The new investment in a provincial replant program is in addition to the crop insurance and AgriStability income-protection programs the federal and provincial governments operate to support farmers who experience crop losses and income declines.
ORIGINAL: 1:30 p.m.
The British Columbia government says farmers will get an extra $70 million to replant and strengthen fruit orchards and vineyards after two years of weather-related disasters.
Premier David Eby says the funding will boost the province's existing $15 million Perennial Crop Renewal Program, launched last spring to help more than 200 farmers replace diseased and unproductive plants.
Speaking at a wine industry conference in Penticton, Eby says the new funding will help about 1,000 more producers revitalize their farms.
B.C.'s wine grape growers say a cold snap in January destroyed up to 99 per cent of the province's harvest, a devastating blow that followed another crippling deep freeze in 2022 and wildfire smoke damage in 2021.
Okanagan fruit growers say they were also hit hard by the January cold spell that sent temperatures in Kelowna plunging to -27 C, inflicting 90 per cent losses for stone fruits.
Eby says the government will also establish a B.C. wine grape sector task force to develop plans to help producers stay profitable and resilient as they face climate change.
More to come...
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMieGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNhc3RhbmV0Lm5ldC9uZXdzL1BlbnRpY3Rvbi80NzY4NjUvQi1DLW9yY2hhcmRzLWFuZC12aW5leWFyZHMtdG8tZ2V0LTcwTS10by1yZXBsYW50LWFmdGVyLWRpc2FzdHJvdXMtd2VhdGhlctIBAA?oc=5
2024-03-13 23:28:00Z
CBMieGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNhc3RhbmV0Lm5ldC9uZXdzL1BlbnRpY3Rvbi80NzY4NjUvQi1DLW9yY2hhcmRzLWFuZC12aW5leWFyZHMtdG8tZ2V0LTcwTS10by1yZXBsYW50LWFmdGVyLWRpc2FzdHJvdXMtd2VhdGhlctIBAA
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar