Canada: New goals for BC agriculture
Industry revenues hit $12.3 billion this year — up $1.8 billion in three years — paced by double-digit growth in food exports to the United States, China and Japan, according to government figures.
Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick set a new goal of $15 billion in revenue for the sector by 2020 with the release of a revamped B.C. Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Plan on Tuesday.
The plan sets a lofty goal to increase sales of local products in the rest of Canada by $1.1 billion, trade that continues to be hampered by interprovincial trade barriers.
With Canada’s strong reputation for safety and quality and improving market access in Asia, B.C. food exports are poised to grow, she said. But gains in the processing side of the industry cannot be made in isolation.
The government’s plan calls for improved production yields and a 91,000-hectare, or three per cent, increase in farmland in production by 2020.
Support from the province and the federal government are key to opening export markets for B.C. products, said Rhonda Driediger, a director of the B.C. Agriculture Council.
“It took eight years to get access to China for our fresh blueberries and you can’t do that without a real commitment from everyone,” she said. “The next step is to lower tariffs and, of course, we can’t do that alone.”
Source: vancouversun.com