October 30, 2003
Saskatchewan Party Goal: Double Value of Agriculture Output in 10 Years
Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson today said a Saskatchewan Party government will work to double the value of agriculture and agribusiness production over the next decade.
Hermanson was speaking to delegates at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Annual Meeting in Saskatoon.
Agriculture continues to be the most important industry in Saskatchewan, Hermanson said. Restoring profitability to agriculture will be a key focus of a Saskatchewan Party government.
Hermanson said a lack of leadership by the NDP government over the past decade has hurt Saskatchewan farm families and agri-businesses.
During last years drought, the NDP decided to raise crop insurance rates and eliminate spot-loss hail coverage. This year the NDP raised crop insurance premiums again by an average of more than 50 percent.
Hermanson also said the NDPs response to the BSE crisis has been inadequate and that the NDP did not represent Saskatchewans interests in negotiating the new Agriculture Policy Framework.
The Saskatchewan Party plan to double the value of agriculture and agri-business productions by 2014 includes:
enhancing the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Program;
working to negotiate a sustainable long-term safety net program with the federal government and producers;
reducing the education portion of property tax on farmland by 15%;
establishing a $300 per head low-interest cash advance to address cash flow shortfalls faced by producers as a result of the BSE crisis;
eliminating the small business tax; and
cutting the corporate capital tax on investment in half.
A strong agriculture sector will form the foundation upon which we will achieve our goal of growing Saskatchewan by 100,000 people in ten years.
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For further information, Terri Harris, Campaign Headquarters, Regina, 584-6103.
