Already, businesses in the Okanagan are experiencing price increases caused by the trade war between the USA and Canadian governments.
Peter Simonsen, the president of the BC Fruit GrowersB次元官网网址� Association and a farmer and cider producer at said that the cost of the farm's cans have already increased.
On March 4, U.S. President Donald Trump enacted an order to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on all goods being imported into the country from Canada. A tariff is a tax, paid by importers, on products that travel across a national border. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed retaliatory tariffs on all products entering Canada from the USA.
Simonsen, said the tariffs B次元官网网址� which are coming into effect after a string of weather-related hardships over recent years for the fruit growing industry in B.C. B次元官网网址� are going to be challenging and expensive for farmers.
"It has been one thing after another," said Simonsen.
After experiencing significant crop loss from a heat dome and extreme cold weather, Simonsen said farmers will likely need government aid to succeed in spite of the tariffs on both sides of the trade war.
He said that many growers in the Okanagan, specifically cherry farmers, sell a large proportion of their yield to buyers in America.
"We export a lot of cherries later in the season," said Simonsen.
Now, with the imposition of tariffs, he fears that purchasers south of the border will be less willing or capable of buying Canadian produce B次元官网网址� as the cost will be 25 per cent more expensive.
"There is going to be needless inflation," he said, about economies on both sides of the border. One example gave is the increase to the American-made cans that are used for the farm's cider.
While Creek and Gully won't largely be impacted by the difficulties of selling fruit in the U.S.A., as the majority of their fruit is sold domestically, Simonsen said the retaliatory tariffs are what will hit his farm the hardest. He explained that many of the essential inputs used by farmers in B.C., like fertilizers and pesticides, are produced in the States.
"The price of inputs will be most costly," said Simonsen.
He fears that the retaliatory tariffs on imported inputs will drive up the prices of fruit and food for consumers in Canada.
In the face of uncertainty, Simonsen urges consumers to buy locally grown food and to ask for Canadian goods at grocery stores.
"If there is a silver lining in all of this, it is that hopefully, people will realize that buying local is important. It is important that we keep a healthy agriculture industry in Canada."
Maryse Harvey, president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, said that Kelowna and surrounding regions are expected to be relatively resistant to economic hardship when compared to other cities, like vehicle manufacturing hot-spots in southern Ontario and energy exporting regions in Alberta.
However, she noted that industries like agriculture, which rely heavily on trade with Canada's southern neighbour, will likely be the first to face the brunt of the impacts caused by the tariffs.
Results from a survey distributed by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce found that at least 50 per cent of participating businesses in the region export goods to the United States.
Harvey said that the preliminary statistics from the survey are in line with that was found by the Canadian Chamber, which predicts that Kelowna will likely experience moderate
