While the threat of the prices of American president Donald Trump is looming, there was a push in British Columbia and Canada to “buy local”.
However, a British Columbia company claims that bureaucracy makes local sale difficult.
Bahram Rashti, owner of UP Vertical Farms in Pitt Meadows, told Global News that he had been a challenge to put their products on the shelves of British Columbia, even if they are a company based in British Columbia .
“We did not expect it to be so frustrating and that it takes so long,” he said.
“We have succeeded (in obtaining it) in certain retailers such as Costco and Costco buyers were extremely, extremely useful, but some of the largest retail chains have not provided the support we are looking for.”
Rashti said he hoped that the local purchase movement launched by Trump’s pricing threats would be the turn to facilitate British Columbia companies, but that does not seem to have been the case.
“It hasn’t happened for three years and it just seems bad.”
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Rashti said that he had recently started sending their products to the United States and was well received.
“I still do not understand how it was much easier to bring it down to the south of the border and always so difficult to put it on Canadian retail shelves, not only in British Columbia, throughout Western Canada and we Let’s not understand what the obstacle is, ”he said.
Rashti said their product is actually listed as cheaper than some of the American products imported into the province.
The government of British Columbia says it depends in the end of the retailers as to what they have put on their shelves, but these same retailers should be aware of the growing desire for Canadians to consume local.
“Right now, there is such a massive change in what people are looking at, either hyper local BC or Canadian manufacturing products,” said Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham.
The province is also Bulking in its “Buy BC” program And considers additional measures to support local producers.
“It is up to retailers and producers to forge the relationship, but we, as I like to say, can be the wind in the back,” said Popham.
Rashti said he would like to see more local options for consumers.
“Canadians want to eat more cultivated products in Canada,” said Rashti.
“There is a big role to play for the government, to encourage more retailers to transport more cultivated foods and processed foods in Canada and to provide more options to real consumers.”
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