BC NDP leader Adrian Dix targeted the province’s agricultural sector Sunday in his latest platform announcement, promising $8 million for farmers.
The NDP would create these new programs:
- Feed BC, which aims to put locally grown food on the menu of B.C. hospitals, as well as expand the local food market;
- Grow BC, which would help fruit growers replant and maintain orchards, and provide general support to farmers; and
- measures to support B.C.’s craft distillery industry.
“More money for agriculture is always good,” said Reg Ens, executive director of the B.C. Agriculture Council. “B.C. has the lowest spending per capita per GDP of any province in the country.”
But he added that the NDP’s plan lacks detail. While he welcomed the hospital food idea as a way to boost local procurement, he cautioned that his industry doesn’t want to add unnecessary cost to the health care system.
Ens said that what B.C. farmers are really looking for is a way to compete against lower-priced food from other regions.
