The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources:

Mr. Speaker, every year more farmers are accessing high-quality vegetable transplants and getting a head start on the growing season by availing of the Provincial Vegetable Transplant Program.

This initiative aims to increase the variety and amount of produce we grow in Newfoundland and Labrador by planting crops and using agricultural techniques that are best suited to Newfoundland and Labrador’s specific growing conditions.

Mr. Speaker, to address Newfoundland and Labrador’s food security needs during the COVID-19 pandemic – and thanks to the efforts of the dedicated staff at the Wooddale Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Development – we have prepared and delivered three million vegetable transplants to 65 eligible commercial farmers across the province. That’s nearly double the 1.7 million transplants delivered to 54 farmers in 2019.

With proper planting and care, three million transplants have the potential to produce approximately 3.8 million pounds of vegetables – the equivalent of 63 tractor trailer loads of fresh, homegrown broccoli, cabbage, onion, kale, cauliflower, rutabaga and lettuce Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can buy from local markets come harvest time.

Mr. Speaker, the agriculture sector is growing in Newfoundland and Labrador thanks to the farmers who are dedicating their lives to producing fresh, nutritious food. I wish them all a fantastic season and look forward to a bountiful harvest.

Thank you.