Premier David Eby said help is coming for farmers who have suffered crop failures due to recent weather.
A frigid Arctic front amid warm winter temperatures has wreaked havoc on fruit crops in the Creston Valley and around the province.
“Orchardists and farmers who depend on perennial plants that grow every year have been badly affected by this recent cold snap. There was no snow to protect the plants, the temperature swing was massive, and it has devastated their crops,” said Eby. “The inventory of the extent of the damage is still being taken.”
Eby said local farmers play a vital role in B.C.
“They provide food security, especially in a time of climate change when we may not be able to rely on food imports at reasonable prices the way we used to,” said Eby. “We need to be supportive of our farmers and agriculture industry to make sure we have food to eat going forward.”
Eby said help will come to farmers who suffered losses because of the weather.
“We will be supporting those farmers as they rebuild,” said Eby. “We understand the importance of the industry and the challenges they face due to the extreme weather as a result of climate change in our province.”