Indian-origin farmers in Canada left in cold as 90-year-old cooperative is shut

Indian-origin farmers in British Columbia (BC) are urgently calling for the Canadian government’s intervention after the sudden closure of the British Columbia Tree Fruits co-operative last month. The co-operative, which served as a vital resource for storing and packaging their harvests, closed after 90 years, because of “extremely low estimated fruit volumes, weather effects, and difficult market and financial conditions”. The closure has left over 230 farming families, many of whom are of Indian descent, struggling to find alternatives.

The closure comes on top of severe crop losses due to extreme weather, which wiped out peach, apricot, and nectarine crops and caused significant damage to cherry orchards.

Moe Dhaliwal, an Indian-origin farmer who has been growing fruits in British Columbia’s Okanagan for 30 years, expressed shock at the closure.

“We still have growers out there that still have apples on their trees, and we’ve got nowhere to put them,” Dhaliwal told CBC news.

PROTEST AND DEMAND FOR SUPPORT

Kelly Wander, a protest organiser, emphasised the need for government support during this crisis.

They want the co-operative to be reopened, arguing that private packing houses lack the capacity to handle the current and upcoming harvests.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Wander said, noting that many farmers feel their concerns are not being heard by provincial officials.

Agriculture Minister Pam Alexis acknowledged the challenges faced by the farmers.

“This has been a challenging time for farmers, including BC fruit growers. Our government has been listening to them. What we are hearing is everyone is facing different challenges, but the common denominator is that farmers need help now with their bottom line,” said Alexis, reported the CBC News.

The closure of the co-operative has also been linked to internal issues.

Former British Columbia Tree Fruits board member Amarjit Lalli, another Indian-origin farmer, revealed that the decision to shut down was influenced by a power struggle for control and dissatisfaction among members over the co-op’s management.

Lalli claimed that the board chose to close the business rather than relinquish control.

“We have individuals that are willing to step forward to fix the issues within the organisation,” Lalli said, urging the province to back a loan to the co-operative and allow members to replace the current leadership.

OPPOSITION DEMANDS ACTION

In response to the crisis, the opposition party BC United has called for immediate provincial government action.

The party urged the province to temporarily halt the liquidation of the co-op’s assets, provide funding to support this year’s harvest, and audit the co-operative’s management.

“This is essential to prevent a total industry collapse while protecting the rights of co-operative members,” said MLA Ian Paton, BC United’s shadow minister for agriculture.

Farmers like Dhaliwal fear that without government support, they will be forced to uproot their fruit trees, unable to compete with private markets.

“There’s gonna be no local fruit,” Dhaliwal warned, adding that the lack of intervention would lead to an influx of US produce in local markets, reported the CBC News.