Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/56260
However, Sardinha cautioned that the road to regulated marketing and trade protection would not be easy. "The federal government has been pursuing free trade agreements with Korea, Latin America, and other countries in the Asia Pacific region. These trade lib- eralization talks, aimed at increasing Canadian access to new markets, may ultimately require concessions from exist- ing supply-managed sectors that will compromise their existing high-tariff trade protection." The idea for the B.C. ARPA came out of the Apple Working Group of the Canadian Horticulture Council. The levy would have to be authorized by the provincial cabinet under the provincial Farming and Fishing Industry Development Act. Its mandate would then have to be renewed every five years by a vote. Balloting for BCFGA members will be conducted by mail and will wrap up at the annual Horticulture Forum in Kelowna March 1-2. Columbia River Treaty The outgoing president stressed focus- ing on the positive in his final report at the convention, but it's a message that orchardists are finding difficult to embrace. "The past three years, while more prof- itable for cherries and other tree fruits, have been most challenging for the apple industry," Sardinha, who stepped down after seven years as president, said in his executive report. Average returns to growers for apples for the crop years 2008, 2009, and 2010 were 15.3 cents per pound, while the cost of production is estimated at 22.6 cents per pound. The global economic slow- down and rise in the value of the Cana- dian dollar are considered the primary causes of the low returns. It was suggested in a Tree Fruit Indus- try Task Force report submitted to the province by the BCFGA last year that the province should support agriculture sec- tors impacted by the Columbia River Treaty. The treaty, signed in 1964, controls water flow of the Columbia River from British Columbia to Washington State's Columbia Basin and resulted in a massive expansion of tree fruit and vegetable pro- duction in Washington. Since 2014 is the first date that a ten-year notice to cancel or change the treaty can be issued, the province has initiated a review process to study the treaty's possible continuation, renegotiation, or termination. In a report to the BCFGA from its Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, its authors state that the tree fruit sector has a claim on Columbia River Treaty funds. "Our sector has been pummeled by the overproduction of apples in Washington State," the report states. "Since the regular supply of irrigation water was made pos- sible by the Columbia River Treaty in 1964, the Washington State apple industry has grown from the same size to 25 times the size of the B.C. tree fruit industry." www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 1, 2012 35 The BCFGA suggests that $9.25 million of the total annual treaty funds ($200 mil- lion to $300 million) be invested in the tree fruit, potato, and vegetable sectors affected by the treaty. Kirpal Boparai, newly elected presi- dent of the association, said his first pri- ority is to get money into the pockets of growers any way he can. "The growers are working very hard, and the last few years, the funds haven't been there. I want to make sure I do some research and see how we get those funds. "We're seeing production go up, but the prices in the last few years have been drastically bad. I want to help the growers." In a reflection of tough economic times, the association's budget showed a loss of $38,215 last year and is projecting a $17,800 loss this year. The president's annual honorarium was halved from $20,000 to $10,000. The BCFGA represents 760 family- operated farms that provide $300 million in economic activity. •