March 22, 2023 (Regina, SK) – The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) supports Saskatchewan's provincial Budget.
The provincial Budget acknowledges the importance of agriculture to the provincial economy, as agriculture accounted for $18.4 billion worth of exports last year, despite it being the third consecutive year of drought.
"It's no secret that Saskatchewan runs on agriculture, and it is one of Saskatchewan's largest contributors to the provincial economy," APAS President Ian Boxall said. "We are glad to see some of the supports in place to help farmers still recovering from several years of drought or damaging storms from last year."
APAS applauds the $485 million over the next five years from the federal and provincial governments under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This cost-shared policy framework provides sustainable funding for many important agricultural programs, covering research, development of on-farm water infrastructure, irrigation, and support for environmental stewardship projects. It represents a 25% funding increase over the previous framework.
APAS also wants to recognize the importance of further investment in water infrastructure, such as dams, pipelines, and wells. A positive development for Saskatchewan producers includes an increase in the funding cap to the Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program to $75,000, up from $50,000. This will help farmers still dealing with the droughts of previous years.
APAS is also pleased to see relief for livestock producers who continue to deal with many challenges. It is important to highlight the investment by the province into five new veterinary training seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine to help address the shortage of large animal veterinarians in Saskatchewan. We recognize the government is open to discussing additional action going forward to help stabilize the industry's long-term future.
Lastly, APAS appreciates SaskTel’s continued investment with $412.7 million in capital expenditures, which includes connecting more rural Saskatchewan residents to fibre technology and working to resolve rural connectivity issues throughout the province.
APAS will continue working with the provincial government on behalf of all Saskatchewan producers to help create success for farm and ranch families.
The full news release is available here.
