Surrey Board of Trade calls it a great business opportunity for Surrey
VICTORIA – A new agreement has been signed between B.C. and the Netherlands with an aim to help further secure British Columbia’s food supply by developing agricultural technology (agritech) opportunities in both the counties.
The partnership will deliver initiatives and cross-cultural learning exchanges to support sustainable agricultural and agritech opportunities for people and businesses in B.C and the Netherlands. Encouraging collaboration in agriculture and agritech will increase food security, good jobs for British Columbians and help feed the world by fostering innovative solutions to create more productive, diverse and stronger food supply chains, according to Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, co-who signed the new action plan agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nature Quality of the Netherlands, on B.C.’s trade mission.
“The ongoing international unrest, and the ever-evolving changes to regional and global food systems, has shown us the importance of a more collaborative approach to develop new ways to produce healthy and sustainable food,” Kahlon said.
B.C. has more than 150 agritech companies, including in areas of food processing, precision agriculture, bioproducts, food safety/traceability and soil/crop technology. Positioning B.C. as an agritech leader while ensuring provincial food security and protecting farmland is a priority, said Kahlon.
Anita Huberman, President & CEO, Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT) said that SBOT and the Surrey International Trade Centre were pleased to see the BC Government securing agreements with international jurisdictions to cement industry opportunities in the agritech sector. “One third of Surrey’s land base is agricultural land, and with our advocacy to allow agritech to occur on light-industrial land, that number may be increasing. Innovation and international partnerships are needed to secure supply chain efficiencies,” she said.
This action plan focuses on specific strategies to further collaboration between the government, science, academia and companies in B.C. and the Netherlands. This model, referred to as the Triple Helix in the Netherlands, has contributed to the northern European country’s success as the second largest food exporter in the world.
Part of the Netherlands’ long-term strategic vision focuses on circular agriculture, which aims to produce food with as little impacts on nature, environment and the climate as possible.
