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New supports available for P.E.I. producers

P.E.I. has announced new funding for a project to support seed potato producers as they adapt to ongoing trade suspension.

The Soil Building for Seed Producers Project is a $3 million provincial investment into P.E.I.’s seed sector, funded through the Potato Emergency Contingency Program. it will focus on the continued implementation of BMPs on fields currently used for potato production. It was developed through collaboration with the P.E.I. Potato Board and will focus on a variety of BMPs, such as incorporating new soil-building crops into rotations and extending rotations with perennial crops to increase carbon sequestration.

John Visser, chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board, said in a statement that the project will help those most affected by restrictions on seed movement by covering fixed costs, “while gaining some time to assess how they move ahead.”

Bloyce Thompson, minister of agriculture and land for P.E.I., added, “In our meetings with industry and the P.E.I. Potato Board, the need for additional supports for our seed sector were identified, specifically so that these growers can assess and address alternative crops as they deal with ongoing trade suspensions.”