March 2, 2016 - Agriculture Industry Reception

The Surrey Board of Trade, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and BC Agriculture Council are hosting a networking reception to connect key agricultural industry contacts with businesses. The race is on to help this thriving industry through skills development, business-venture capital support and government advocacy.

City of Surrey
The Agriculture sector plays a significant role in Surrey’s economy, with Surrey’s expansive agricultural land base defining much of the city. Over 1/3 of land in Surrey (or 9,290 hectares) is within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), which is a provincial zone in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. In addition to lands within the ALR, there are over 1,000 hectares of Agricultural lands currently zoned for agricultural uses located outside the ALR. Surrey farms accounted for over $167 Million dollars. There are nearly 500 farms in Surrey. These farms employ over 3,300 workers of Surrey’s labour force.

City of Abbotsford
Abbotsford is the largest municipality in BC with a total area of 389 km2.  Approximately 70% of the land (over 27,000 hectares) is located within the Agricultural Land Reserve.  Abbotsford is one of the most intensively and diversely farmed areas in Canada, supporting a wide range of crop and livestock productions. Agricultural-related economic activity in Abbotsford generates over $1.8 billion annually, or about 35% of the total GDP generated in the City. Agriculture typically displays steady growth and remarkable stability in good times and outperforms other sectors in economic downturns.