The B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative north of Osoyoos is closing its retail outlet in early September. The packinghouse will close after the last of this year’s apple crop is received. Osoyoos growers hope that the co-operative will keep a receiving station in Osoyoos so they don’t need to truck their fruit to Oliver. (Richard McGuire photo)
As B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative closes its packinghouse in Osoyoos and consolidates in Oliver, at least one director is holding out hope for a receiving station in Osoyoos.
That was the main request by Osoyoos growers when they met recently and expressed concerns about having to truck their fruit to Oliver.
Director Talwinder Bassi said management is reviewing the possibility of keeping a satellite receiving station open in Osoyoos.
Bassi said the co-operative would do anything to help rectify any problems that growers may have.
Fellow director Harbhajan Sidhu, from Oliver, acknowledged some Osoyoos growers are concerned about having to transport their fruit to Oliver, especially in hot weather.
But Sidhu said the co-operative would try to help growers in that regard.
Both directors believe that consolidation in Oliver will be a big boost to that community.
The co-operative maintains that the closure is necessary because the aging Osoyoos facility is expensive to maintain and upgrading it would not be economical.
Meanwhile, B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative announced last week that 250 employees in the South region on a seniority list will continue to be scheduled in Oliver and will not see a significant change to their normal scheduled activity.
The Osoyoos packinghouse is closing its retail facility on Sept. 9, but it will continue to receive fruit from local growers until the end of this fall’s apple season.
“The Oliver packinghouse will undergo multiple upgrades in both technology and equipment to handle the increased packing needs beginning with the 2018 crop,” B.C. Tree Fruits said in a news release last week.
Sidhu, the Oliver director, said spending nearly $5 million to expand the local packinghouse will be good news for Oliver.
He noted the consolidation would save a lot of money and open up more opportunities by packing all the fruit in Oliver.
Bassi agreed.
“It’s a positive move that will bring more life to the Oliver packinghouse,” Bassi said, adding they will see better returns.
Future plans for the Osoyoos facility and property are currently being reviewed by senior management and the board of directors, the co-operative’s news release said.
With files from Lyonel Doherty.
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