Edmonton, Alberta
August 6, 2008
Federal and provincial governments
today announced an investment to help Alberta seed potato
growers affected by Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN). The announcement
of up to $23.5 million in support was made by the
Federal Agriculture Minister,
Gerry Ritz and George Groeneveld, Alberta Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development.
"I am pleased to partner with the Government of Alberta to
provide funding through AgriRecovery which will help potato
growers through this difficult time," said Minister Ritz. "This
Government has put flexible programs in place to help farmers
when they face disaster."
"Alberta potato growers are a resilient group, but the impact of
PCN has been especially severe," said Minister Groeneveld.
"Provincially and federally, our governments remain committed to
Alberta’s potato industry and through this initiative we will
continue to support our hard-working producers."
This is a much anticipated announcement, said Edzo Kok,
Executive Director of Potato Growers of Alberta. "Potato seed
growers have been anxiously awaiting this compensation. We are
very grateful to the federal and provincial governments for this
support."
PCN is a soil borne pest which can lower the yield of potato
plants and in severe cases can cause the plant to die. PCN can
be easily spread through the transportation of infested soil,
wind or floodwaters. The discovery of PCN resulted in border
closures to the United States and Mexico for all seed potatoes
from Alberta.
Up to $14.1 million federal and $9.4 million of provincial
support will be available under the 2008 Alberta Seed Potato
Assistance Program, through AgriRecovery. The program will help
potato growers cover extraordinary costs not covered under other
programs including disposal of genetic plant stock, disposal
costs to destroy inventory and compensation for loss of export
market.
This funding is being made available through AgriRecovery, which
allows governments to respond when disaster strikes and is one
component of a new suite of Business Risk Management programs.
Assistance is also available under AgriStability, which covers
larger margin declines caused by production losses.
The initiative is cost-shared on a 60/40 basis between the
Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta. The Alberta
Seed Potato Assistance Program was developed jointly by
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Province of Alberta and
will be delivered by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
Eligible growers will be notified directly of the assistance
available to them under this program. |
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