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Raspberry growers in B.C. will continue to receive provincial funding through the Raspberry Replant Program.
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New funding helps Raspberry Replant Program bloom
Published 12:34 PDT, Wed March 30, 2022
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B.C. families will enjoy more local raspberries in the years ahead as growers continue revitalizing their fields through up to $300,000 in new funding from the Raspberry Replant Program.
"The new investment in this program will help more B.C. growers replant their fields with varieties that will support their businesses and increase the amount and improve the quality of local berries," said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. "Planting varieties that grow well in our climate and produce berries suitable for fresh, specialized frozen and value-added markets will ensure B.C. raspberries continue to be on many of our menus and part of B.C.'s food economy."
British Columbia is the largest raspberry-producing province in Canada and leads the country in the sales of raspberries with most of the province's production occurring in the Fraser Valley. B.C.'s raspberry marketed production in 2020 was 5,149 metric tonnes from 950 hectares (2,347.5 acres) of cultivated area with a farm gate value of nearly $14 million.
The ministry funded 45 acres of new plantings of raspberries in 2021 and B.C. raspberry growers received a total of $104,000 in funding. The ministry has committed to funding 74 acres of raspberries in 2022, with total funding estimated at $184,000.
The Raspberry Replant Program helps growers cover some of the expenses incurred when they replace plants of lower-quality berries with varieties that grow well in the coastal climate and are more suitable for fresh, individually quick frozen and higher-value processed products. The new funding will help growers replant fields in the spring and fall of 2023.
The new funding allows growers to pre-order plants from the nurseries a year in advance, as is typically done by berry growers, while knowing the program is available to support their efforts. Raspberry growers can place plant orders for 2023 plantings before June 2022 to ensure they have access to preferred varieties from the nurseries. Applications will open this spring and stay open through to the fall to give growers time to plan and prepare for the 2023 planting season.
The B.C. government launched the Raspberry Replant Program in the fall of 2020 as part of the province's economic recovery plan, StrongerBC. The program has supported the replanting of 49 hectares (120 acres) of raspberry fields, and with the new funding, the program will provide as much as $500,000 to support B.C. raspberry growers.
For more details about the Raspberry Replant Program, click here.
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