April 11, 2008
The Government of Canada today announced $750,000 for the B.C. greenhouse vegetable industry, as part of its commitment to providing farmers with the resources they need to improve their long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Russ Hiebert, Member of Parliament for South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board.
"This Government's commitment is to put farmers first, and we're proud to support the greenhouse vegetable industry here in British Columbia-an industry which employs thousands of people throughout the province," said Mr. Hiebert. "This investment will help foster the creation of new opportunities for the province's greenhouse vegetable growers."
The funding will go towards a number of initiatives identified in the industry's most recent strategic plan, including raising public awareness of the greenhouse vegetable industry, developing partnerships, and assisting growers to improve operational efficiency. It will also support research into such areas as pest management, energy use, environmental impact assessments and crop production methods.
Today's announcement was greeted warmly by the BC Greenhouse Growers' Association. "We are excited about this new funding," said Sarah Ryall, Board Vice President of the Association. "It will help us address a number of recent challenges faced by our growers and help promote the long-term sustainability of the greenhouse vegetable sector."
Funding for this initiative is provided through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program, and delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia (IAF). The IAF is a not-for-profit organization that manages and distributes federal and provincial funds in support of innovative projects to benefit the agriculture and agri-food industries in B.C.
For more information on ACAAF, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/acaaf. To learn more about the Investment Agriculture Foundation and the funding programs it administers, please visit www.iafbc.com.