Members of the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association will discuss the challenges facing the orchard industry and ways to ensure it remains sustainable at the 123rd annual convention on Kelowna this week.
The convention runs Jan. 26 and 27 at the Coast Capri Hotel.
Joe Sardinha, president of the association and a Summerland orchardist, said the cherry growers are holding their own, but apple production remains in a struggle.
“There’s still hope,” he said, “but unfortunately the economy’s not cooperating.”
He said the fruit industry is looking for better ways to capture the retail market in Canada.
While packing houses, including the Summerland facility, have been closing in recent years, Sardinha said the closures have been necessary for the success of the business.
He said additional changes will also be needed.”We have to keep reinventing ourselves and getting more creative,” he said.
In addition to discussions on the future of the industry, Sardinha said water stewardship will also be discussed.
The theme this year is “Water: Achieving balance and sustainability.”
Sardinha said this is not a call for conservation as much as a call for wise watering practices.
“We want to be more efficient users of the water available to us,” he said.
“We live in a world of competing interests and water is life itself.
The B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association represents 800 orchardists who generate $130 million in wholesale revenue and contribute $900 million in economic activity.