Despite stiff competition from fruit growers in Washington State, the members of the B.C Fruit Growers Association (BCFGA) are managing to survive and thrive.

That was the message from BCFGA president Jeet Dhukia and general manager Glen Lucas during a presentation to members of Town of Osoyoos council on Monday.

Because of the competition from Washington State, members of the BCFGA “have to be smaller, nimbler and smarter” to be successful and they invariably are, said Dhukia. “Washington State is the elephant next door.”

With the organization getting ready to celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2014, Dhukia said he and Lucas are visiting many municipal councils across the region to detail their success and share the message of how important the fruit growing industry remains to the regional and provincial economy.

There are several reasons why regional fruit growers continue to prosper, but having a longer growing season and high-colour apples like Ambrosia and Gala and the latest cherry production harvest in North America plays a significant role, said Lucas.

“We used to be finished with cherries in July, but now we’re going into August and sometimes even September,” he said. “We’re the only place in the world producing cherries that late.”

The Okanagan and Similkameen valleys are the last region in North America free of apple maggot and there is area-wide control of the Codling Moth, which has proven to be a devastating pest of apples and pears, he said.

“Because we’re relatively isolated, we’re able to do other things other producers can’t,” he said.

The BCFGA greatly appreciates the fact numerous school boards have shown support by introducing school fruit and vegetable nutrition programs using fruit and vegetables grown only in B.C. The association is hoping to start up similar programs with hospitals, universities and colleges across the province, said Dhukia.

The new deal signed last week between the Chinese government and the B.C. Cherry Association to transport hundreds of thousands of pounds of cherries to the world’s most populous country is also very encouraging and great news for the BCFGA and its membership, he said.

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) that allows fruit farmers to bring in foreign workers remains critical to the fruit growing industry in this region, said Dhukia.

“Without this program, we would not be able to operate,” he said.

The federal government has assured the BCFGA that the SAWP is “here to stay” which is very encouraging, he said.

In Washington State, the government has provided $100 million towards worker housing and the BCFGA will continue to lobby for funding to help farmers pa to house foreign workers, said Dhukia, adding he pays $18,000 per year to provide housing for the workers he hires on his fruit farm in Vernon.

Okanagan-based fruit growers are also competitive in conducting research on water and pest control and agriculture has adapted with more efficient irrigation, said Lucas.

Regional growers have been fortunate to keep invasive pests like apple maggot, Brown Marmorated Stinkbug and several other species out of this region, but this challenge won’t go away and growers must remain committed to staying on top of the latest science and techniques used to protect their crops, he said.

There are currently programs in place to chip wood waste rather than burn it and sterile insect release programs and more environmentally-friendly conservation programs will be introduced moving forward, said Dhukia.

The BCFGA is asking municipal councils to refer all housing, water and invasive pest items to regional agricultural advisory committees, seeking a valley-wide approach to regulation on key issues and hoping councils continue to make good decisions and continue the great working relationship with the agricultural sector.

Mayor Stu Wells thanked Dhukia and Lucas for their presentation and invited them back at a later date to update progress being made by the organization and to answer any questions members of council may have at that time.

BY KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times