The provincial government has redirected $4 million to growers impacted by the sudden closure of the BC Tree Fruits cooperative in July after nearly 90 years in business.The Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC funding will ensure co-op members are compensated for past harvests sooner instead of having to wait until the things plays out in court.According to the government, the IAF will serve as creditor and pay growers in the short term, then "recoup funds at the end of the court process."An additional $100,000 has been provided to the BC Fruit Growers Association so it can take on some of the food-safety certification duties previously handled by the co-op."These are very challenging times for BC's tree-fruit growers and we are continuing to support them in getting their fruit to market as well as with cash in their pockets now," Minister of Agriculture and Food Pam Alexis said in a news release. "Our priority from the beginning has been working with growers to ensure they are receiving as many of the services the co-op provided as possible, including food-safety certification, access to storage and bins, and connecting with packing houses."She explained that the province is, "monitoring the court process closely and will continue to support growers in finding alternative arrangements for their harvest."BC Tree Fruits was, until recently, the largest tree fruit cooperative in Canada, picking, packaging, and distributing apples, pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines, prune plums, apricots, blueberries, and table grapes grown in the Okanagan.The board of directors decided to shut it down due to "extremely low estimated fruit volumes and difficult marketing conditions," which they argued would likely result in stakeholders not receiving adequate returns."The Okanagan has a rich history of farming and food production, highlighted by our delicious tree fruit, and it's so important that we continue to support BC growers," Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu said. "I have had numerous conversations with fruit-tree growers, and I continue to advocate for those impacted. Many growers are being connected to packing houses and other services and we will continue to collaborate on solutions going forward."
