BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham announced Friday afternoon in Kelowna that the new 5 million dollar Tree Competitiveness Fund will go towards modernizing and optimizing the province's orchard operations.
With the industry experiencing a growth for the first time in years, Popham says this is the perfect way to capitalize on that and increase competitiveness in the marketplace.
"We want to see the fruit growers renewing their orchards in a way that allows them to grow for what consumers are demanding these days," says Popham.
In addition to bringing in new equipment for fruit growers and producers, marketing and research will be a key component to the fund, and protection against pests will be one of the options on the table for research.
Earlier in the year, the province gave $300,000 towards the replant program, so that any oversubscription from the BC Fruit Grower's Association could be handled.
In 2016, it was reported that 129,000 tonnes of fruit, all worth $116 million, was produced by BC's fruit orchards.