Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co-op

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damngrumpy
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by damngrumpy »

The average price is not that simple as many growers have different varieties of fruit.
Let me explain.
If you have red delicious and lots of them even good ones, you won't make any money.
Reds get from 6 cents to about 14 cents if you're lucky, and a bit higher if you have a
real solid crop.
Macs might yield a good return however they bruise easily so half of them are culls and
that costs money.
Gala need to be size 100 to size 80's and be extra fancy to make any money at all.

(Size means everything here a size 80 means 80 apples in a forty pound box etc.)

Honey crisp and Ambrosia will pay a lot more money and those farmers are doing well thank you.
They are paying way above the cost of production if they are extra fancy and size 80 through 100's
The problem is we don't have enough farmers growing the right size and into the new varieties and
variety and quality is everything in a competitive market. Farmers as well as the packinghouse and the
government all share the blame for what has happened.

The idea the BCFGA should go is nonsense, they are not even part of the marketing system they are the
lobby group that deals with everything from government regulation to water rights, and a host of programs.
The BCFGA didn't even have any business being involved in packinghouse business that is not their mandate.
The fact is private packers do play a roll and a useful one at that. The CO-OP is the only one with long term
stroage essencial for todays market needs. Private packers have been with us for a long time Cawston Cold
Storage being one that looks after the organic industry. This is a fight over nonsense. We have a leader
that has allowed his vision of power to go to his head. We all know what the problems are, what we need are
some cool heads and real solutions and we are getting none of that at the moment. The whole industry lacks
leadership and it better show up soon.
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Thinktank
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

So we have a real bad situation:

Packing Houses are in debt $50 million
Cost to grow apples is 25 cents

Average price for red delicious is 10 cents - rip them out.

Average price for McIntosh is , let's say 15 cents - rip them out

Spartans - growers getting paid 15 cents - rip them out
Galas - 18 cents. More if extra fancy. Problem is - galas don't always grow perfectly red. They're yellowish sometimes.

Ambrosias - the perfect size, and ALL extra fancy, that one grower in Summerland grew
one year ( not every year is perfect) - 35 cents. He made a fortune.
But if all the growers did the exactly same thing as that one grower - they would
then be paid - 15 cents.

So we have a problem. The fruit industry is screwed.
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Thinktank
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

Hey everyone - PLANT HONEYCRISP. you'll make a fortune.

If all growers planted honeycrisp, the packing houses would be bankrupt, because
there is no market for all those honeycrisps. Same with ambrosias.

.
WHEN WILL WESTERN WAR PIGS WIND THIS UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE DOWN?????????????

"Fisman's Fraud" - most important Canadian book of 2024. covid fear tactics of fraudulent scientist David Fisman - misinformation distributed by U of Toronto researchers.
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MAPearce
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by MAPearce »

johnhenry wrote:
MAPearce wrote:Indeed...

Time for the BCFGA to get the boot..


Time for Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative to go.



My mistake....The Co op needs to go , not the fruit growers association.
Liberalism is a disease like cancer.. Once you get it , you can't get rid of it .
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twayblade
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by twayblade »

To all the posters who staed the Co-op has to go, thanks a lot. The Co-op is my bread and butter. I work at the Vaughan ave. packinghouse as a production worker; who sorts,bags and boxes apples for you. I wonder how you would like it if I wished for your job to go under?

I work hard and I take pride in my work, making sure that I don't throw out any apples that are marketable, and trying to make sure that the product you get is the best. We care about the farmers as we care about our role too! Commmercial grade apples are worth money as well as the fancies and when the farmer can make money with both grades; more money ends up in his/her pocket.

All companies have problems and the Co-op is no exception but to wish it gone won't solve problems just cause a whole bunch of new ones. Unemployment for the packinghouse workers,farmers,pickers,etc., lack of packinghouses, fruit rotting on the tree because there is no one to process them, more cheap Washington state apples flooding the market, and the general lack of caring by the consumer, who only cares that they get the cheapest apples, not the best and not BC grown.

One way to really change this and not have this be a losing situation, is to only buy BC apples and ask your local grocer to stop purshasing cheap Washington state apples.This would raise the prices enough for the farmer to make a living and for packinghouse workers to make a living.

We produce a quality product in this province and we should be proud of that, we should campaign to make our apples the ONLY ones that consumers want to purchase. We should have sales people in the stores with different varieties of apples that are able to be sampled, with info on the different types along with their uses. If consumers are more aware, they will be more willing to buy.
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Ken7
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Ken7 »

Thinktank wrote:Hey everyone - PLANT HONEYCRISP. you'll make a fortune.

If all growers planted honeycrisp, the packing houses would be bankrupt, because
there is no market for all those honeycrisps. Same with ambrosias.

.



I'm only throwing it out, like wheat crops, if everyone grows rye or wheat the one guy who grew barley that year will make a pocket full.

I'd think apples are no different. You think back at what were the most common varieties of apples in the early eighties??

Now the common apples are, yes a dime a dozen. Go figure, if I was growing apples I'd keep with it. Look at all the orchards which now are growing grapes. I won't be long and apples will be the crop to have of any variety!!

I'll continue eating my body weight in apples every season, they're great!! I'm now spoiled living here as far as fresh fruit goes.
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MAPearce
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by MAPearce »

To all the posters who staed the Co-op has to go, thanks a lot. The Co-op is my bread and butter. I work at the Vaughan ave. packinghouse as a production worker; who sorts,bags and boxes apples for you. I wonder how you would like it if I wished for your job to go under


Hate to say this but ....If your employer is not competetive , you're just making your living off the sweat and toil ,and bank accounts , of those who are trying to make their ends meet..

They have stuff of their own to deal with , like CHILDREN , who deserve to a fair and honest living..

Perhaps you should speak to the management....Let them know that the growers have families to feed too..

Then people may have empathy for the line workers at the co op.
Liberalism is a disease like cancer.. Once you get it , you can't get rid of it .
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damngrumpy
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by damngrumpy »

All too often we have people making comment on things they either do not understand
or they know little about.
1 The BCFGA is a farmer governed body to deal with issues relating to government and
community. It does not have a mandate to interfere with the internal affairs of the
packinghouse or BC Tree Fruits which are separate entities.

2 The packinghouse board of directors are the people who administer the direction of the
packinghouse. They in tern do not interfere or have a mandate to become involved in the
affairs of the BCFGA

3 BC Tree Fruits is the marketing arm of the packinghouse sales outlet and in turn they have
no mandate to interfere in the internal affairs of the BCFGA.

The BCFGA is for dealing with government regulations and lobby affairs with regard to the
direction and how regulations affect the industry. This President did not apparently conform
to the contract provisions he had with the packinghouse. Rules the other growers do abide by.
This is not about speaking out, or race or any other set of issues. its about shipping fruit to
independent buyers while attempting to be a member of the coop. Everyone had the choice
to send fruit to the coop or independents but not both in the case of apples and pears. He made
a choice and now must accept the consequences, in my opinion.
As I said the election of directors at the coop meeting later this month will perhaps set a new course,
but I don't think the people kicked out will be coming back into the fold next year.
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tootall23
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by tootall23 »

All too often we have people making comment on things they either do not understand
or they know little about.


Totally agree. with the above statement.

I feel for the fruit growers as my father was an orchardist but be careful what you sign because a contract is binding! Be prepared to take consequences if you do not keep your end of the deal.

Apple prices in Canada have suffered as our dollar has gone to $1.02 exchange with U.S. dollar. That has seriously affected returns to B.C. growers. Our neighbours in Washington State have over 20 times as many apples as B.C.
Jimmy Pattison is happy to buy U.S. fruit to sell in his stores.

China has almost half the world's apple crop now, so that eliminated the Far Eastern markets which used to take large amounts of B.C. apples. Haven't seen Chinese apples but we drink their apple juice.

History repeats itself. The apple industry has gotten together and then split apart to sell independently more than once.
Too many sellers cutting each other's prices is the reason Co-ops were formed.
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Thinktank
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

The co-ops attitude should change with the times, to allow
growers more flexibility. What good is it if the stupid co-op freaks out every
time a grower finds a place to sell his fruit on his own and enforces the contract,
but the number of growers keeps going down every year - BECAUSE THE GROWERS GO BANKRUPT.




.
WHEN WILL WESTERN WAR PIGS WIND THIS UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE DOWN?????????????

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LANDM
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by LANDM »

Thinktank wrote:The co-ops attitude should change with the times, to allow
growers more flexibility. What good is it if the stupid co-op freaks out every
time a grower finds a place to sell his fruit on his own and enforces the contract,
but the number of growers keeps going down every year - BECAUSE THE GROWERS GO BANKRUPT.
.


Really? you think that is why the grower count goes down? What are your stats on that?
You and 71 others Like this post
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Thinktank
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

LANDM wrote:Really? you think that is why the grower count goes down?


i meant the co-ops should change their obsolete way of thinking, or else
soon the co-ops will be bankrupt.
WHEN WILL WESTERN WAR PIGS WIND THIS UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE DOWN?????????????

"Fisman's Fraud" - most important Canadian book of 2024. covid fear tactics of fraudulent scientist David Fisman - misinformation distributed by U of Toronto researchers.
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damngrumpy
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by damngrumpy »

I love the way the debt amount keeps going up and all one talks about is the debt.
In fact the debt is not 50 million. Besides the value of the assets is considerable and
the margin is in favour of the coop at this point. Granted they have to make some
serious decisions in the very near future.
Let us also discuss pricing and issues surrounding that.
Reds are on the way out most should not even grow them. Ten cents is low but there are
areas in the valley that can grow a few in a specialty market. I grow less than an acre and
in fact I make more than ten cents a pound, that is because of a high degree of quality and
size.
Macs are difficult to grow when it come to market expectations at the supermarket level.
To grow them a lot of work has to go into them. The problem is not the price, its the fact
that only half the bin is marketable, you can't make money if fifty percent are culls or small.

Farmers who have gone into Ambrosia, and some of the newer varieties are making money
and doing well.

The biggest problem is quality and it has slipped considerably in the past few years and people
don't want to invest their time into growing the very best. After all its not how bins you can grow
its how many bins of extra fancy in the right sizes you can grow. The people who do it right make
money. Next year the east will have lots of apples and then what happens to those who went on
their own they may not have as good a market access. Then again who knows what the future holds.
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Thinktank
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

damngrumpy wrote:The biggest problem is quality and it has slipped considerably in the past few years ....




Packing houses are trying to force growers to work miracles and then blaming them for
just growing apples normally.

It's like growers telling pickers - you can make a lot of money if you can pick 20 bins of apples in a day.
No one can do that.
WHEN WILL WESTERN WAR PIGS WIND THIS UKRAINIAN GENOCIDE DOWN?????????????

"Fisman's Fraud" - most important Canadian book of 2024. covid fear tactics of fraudulent scientist David Fisman - misinformation distributed by U of Toronto researchers.
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by diggerdick »

BCFGA president accused of threats, harassment
Tuesday, 16 October 2012 02:00 J.P. Squire
Print PDF
Allegations of harassment and threats are swirling around the president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association.
Kirpal Boparai's response to two warning letters: "I wiped my butt with it because I don't think they were worth keeping."
The Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-operative recently cancelled the East Kelowna grower's membership and fruit contracts for breaching his apple
contract.
However, The Daily Courier was told by sources that the contract breach was "the final straw" after allegations of harassment and threats against co-op employees and directors dating back to at least 2010.
On Aug. 20, 2010, a co-op memo obtained by The Daily Courier says Boparai "has threatened several managers that they can/will be replaced, he swears at employees and makes derogatory comments to staff."
One staff member was "very upset and was ready to resign. Several other staff have also recently commented/complained about Kirpal. His behaviour towards OTFC employees is festering within the organization and I believe it is time we act with a letter at the very least."
In a recent interview, Boparai responded: "I think that's false. I said anybody will be replaced if they're not doing their job, even including myself. Whatever they want to say, it is up to them. Let them say whatever they want. They can interpret it the way they want it."
Boparai said verbal exchanges with employees started with a couple of employees using foul language.
"I was really upset about it. I don't like people swearing at me. If they're going to swear at me, I'm going to swear back. I told the management and they told me they would do this investigation. I haven't heard nothing since that," he said.
An Aug. 23, 2010, letter from the board of directors to Boparai states: "It has again come to the board's attention that your conduct with the management and employees of (OTFC) has often been inappropriate."
The letter from the board goes on to say: "You continue to exhibit behaviour that is abusive, you use foul language, and you make threats to employees and management that their employment is in jeopardy. This letter serves as a warning that inappropriate conduct toward our employees such as you have demonstrated will not be tolerated."
Boparai responded: "A couple of managers were really, really brutal to me, like saying: 'You're sucking the blood out of us. We're underpaid, overworked.' All I replied to that was that 'If you are overworked and underpaid, why don't you leave? I wouldn't stay on it.' Then they turn around and they make up whatever they want to make up. I don't have an issue there."
On Dec. 15, 2011, another board letter to Boparai says: "While the situation improved over a period of time, we are concerned with the manner in which you have conducted yourself in interactions with management and employees in recent months."
The letter states his fruit contract will be renewed on the condition that he have no contact with any managers or employees in person, by telephone or written communication (other than the field manager), must only communicate with the board and is not allowed on any OTFC premises. Non-compliance would result in suspension of the contract.
A Jan. 26, 2012 report to the board says that Boparai "continues to act in an inappropriate manner with little to no regard or respect for employees or management," despite previous verbal and written warnings. "Certain OTFC employees feel increasingly intimidated and threatened (and) are concerned for their own safety." If nothing is done, it may escalate and the co-op may be liable for not protecting them, it warned, and it says the board should not renew his contract.
Questioned about a meeting with board members last spring to discuss his behaviour, Boparai said: "There's some directors on that board who say Kirpal is a very nice guy. But you have a few directors that have been sitting there for 20 years. I think their fear is that they might lose election (for director). So they are going to do everything to shut me up. I've got to do what I think is right for the industry."
An April 24, 2012 report to the board of directors summarizes interviews with three employees over alleged sexual harassment.
An April 25, 2012 letter from a Vancouver lawyer says in his opinion that "touching and rubbing the employee's shoulders, repeated statements that the employee is his girlfriend, and repeated statements about humping the employee" constitutes sexual harassment under the B.C. Human Rights Code.
The complainant and witnesses were interviewed by RCMP but to date, no charges have been laid. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Asked whether he touched and rubbed a female employee, called her his girlfriend and said he wanted to "hump" her, Boparai replied: "No, that's totally... Then why didn't she phone the cops? She can phone the cops. Why wouldn't she do it?"
Told the woman apparently fears she will lose her job, Boparai responded: "Jesus Christ, come off it. Whoever says this sh-- might get a letter from my lawyer. I'm not even running for director. If I'm that kind of person, how would I get elected? How many other ladies work there that has no problem. It could be the management making somebody say that about me so I will shut up. Maybe that is the story here."
Some employees left him voice messages that "the human resource manager was told to get something on me so they can kick me out of the packinghouse. So I'm not worried."
Asked if it was a conspiracy, he said: "Exactly, that's what it is. So let them do whatever they want. Like I said, I'm not running. I said I will run (eight-nine months ago) so they will come after me. I want them to direct all the frustration at me because other people that are afraid to run wouldn't have taken this heat. Fine, I'll take it.
"They don't know who is running so these directors that are there
20 years, they're aiming at me. Surprise, I am not running. Good luck."
Asked if he received two letters from the board about alleged inappropriate behaviour, Boparai responded: "They said: 'Do this, do that' so I can ship my fruit. They kept pushing, pushing. That's why I had to go out and ship somewhere else. That's crazy; that's nonsense. I wiped my butt with it because I don't think they were worth keeping."a
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