Tree fruit industry to add variety
By Food in Canada magazine staff
Business Operations Research & DevelopmentThe tree fruit industry in B.C. has received more than $3 million for research on creating new varieties
Kelowna, B.C. – B.C. tree fruit growers has received $3.2 million for a project that will help them develop new tree fruit varieties.
The industry received the funding from the federal government in early July. The funding will go toward a project to develop new varieties of apples and sweet cherries.
In Canada, apples and sweet cherries are two of the most important tree fruit crops. Together they’re responsible for more than 80 per cent of the farm gate value of Canadian-grown tree fruits.
The investment will support the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association in developing the new varieties and improve disease and pest management practices.
By introducing new varieties, producers will be able to meet evolving market demands and increase their competitiveness and sustainability.
“The world population and consumer demands are changing and growing,” says Ron Cannan, member of parliament for Kelowna-Lake Country.
“By investing in innovation and new technology, we are creating the right environment for our farms to be profitable and competitive by helping producers capture new opportunities both here in Canada and abroad.”
Canada just recently gained new market access into China for fresh cherry exports from B.C. The B.C. Cherry Industry estimates that by 2014, the sales value of fresh cherries to China will be $10M, and over the next five years will double to $20M.
Photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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