By Pete McIntyre

Province announces new agritech innovation centre

Jul 21, 2022 | 12:00 PM

SURREY, B.C. — B.C.’s Jobs and Innovation Minister says a new agricultural facility in the Lower Mainland will help produce the food needed to feed the province and the world.

Ravi Kahlon made the comment in announcing the new B.C Centre for Agritech Innovation which will be located at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus.

“It’s an exciting announcement for farmers, food producers, tech companies and for food security,” Kahlon told a news conference.

The centre, which will officially open in September, has begun taking applications from small and medium-sized agritech operations throughout the province.

The centre will focus on developing, testing and piloting solutions in simulated and real-world environments to be farm-ready for commercialization. The province said key components of the centre will be to create economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples and help small and medium-sized agritech businesses scale up, increase profits and create good paying jobs.

Politics

Liberal leadership race crystallizes as candidates make opening pitches

1h ago

Middle east conflict

Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to begin Sunday

4h ago

BODY-WORN CAMERAS

RCMP body cameras aim to build trust, but expert says can be "problematic"

Jan 17, 2025

The province will provide funding of $6.5 million over three years for the facility with the federal government committing $10 million over five years.

Kahlon said the centre will be located at SFU, but will have a provincial outlook, and will work in partnership with other post-secondary institutions to create a centre of research and development.

“It will give our food producers the tools they need to succeed in this fast changing world. It will help lower food costs at home, and open up new markets around the world. It will lower our emissions and help us meet our climate change commitments,” Kahlon stated.

The centre is expected to create nearly 200 jobs and help train more than 700 workers, while adding 30 new agritech projects by 2025, partnering with SFU and other post-secondary institutions like the the University of the Fraser Valley, Thompson Rivers University, the University of Northern B.C. and the University of Victoria.

Kahlon said ensuring people have enough to eat in the future is a huge issue globally, noting the state of California, which is one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, will be losing one million acres of airable farmland over the next ten years.

“Food security matters. It matters to the whole world,” Kahlon remarked.

Kahlon summed up his comments by saying the new centre will be a “win for B.C.’s future.”