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

lsj777
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by lsj777 »

My opinion is that Mr . Boparai was the one person that had the guts to stand up for the growers and if his actions puts more money into these growers pockets and turns this industry around , then all growers whether you are white or indo-canadian should be thankful for Mr. Boparai's guts to come forward and question how this organization was been run , because this shakedown from the top down would not have taken place if it had not been for Mr. Boparai 's actions , and when i hear the new ceo come forward and state that he wants to hear more input from the growers to help make changes on how this packinghouse operates in the future in order to get more money into the growers pockets , then Mr .Boparai was right all the way along and was this not the reason why he got kicked out in the first place because of his input on how this packinghouse was been run ?
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Cosmo Kramer »

lsj777 wrote:My opinion is that Mr . Boparai was the one person that had the guts to stand up for the growers and if his actions puts more money into these growers pockets and turns this industry around , then all growers whether you are white or indo-canadian should be thankful for Mr. Boparai's guts to come forward and question how this organization was been run , because this shakedown from the top down would not have taken place if it had not been for Mr. Boparai 's actions , and when i hear the new ceo come forward and state that he wants to hear more input from the growers to help make changes on how this packinghouse operates in the future in order to get more money into the growers pockets , then Mr .Boparai was right all the way along and was this not the reason why he got kicked out in the first place because of his input on how this packinghouse was been run ?


No, he got kicked out for not honoring his legally binding apple contract, not because of his input on how the packinghouse was being run.
lsj777
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

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His legally binding contract was the reason why this president spoke out and it was all about the returns that the growers were getting paid from this packinghouse , and he did it by putting his contract on the line because you can not blame him if he can get a better return by selling his apples some where else where he can make a profit for himself . It leaves me to ask this question : How many other growers would have used there legally binding contracts to prove a point that the growers are upset on the returns they were getting from this packinghouse . If this proves to be a turning point in this industry , then this president did what he had to do not only for himself but for all the growers to see a better return on there hard work and investment .
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diggerdick
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by diggerdick »

Boparai has a massive list of dirty laundry that the general public does not know about. but will eventually hit the news

He wants people to believe that he is a martyr for the BC fruit growers but nothing could be farther from the truth.
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Cosmo Kramer
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Cosmo Kramer »

lsj777 wrote:His legally binding contract was the reason why this president spoke out and it was all about the returns that the growers were getting paid from this packinghouse , and he did it by putting his contract on the line because you can not blame him if he can get a better return by selling his apples some where else where he can make a profit for himself . It leaves me to ask this question : How many other growers would have used there legally binding contracts to prove a point that the growers are upset on the returns they were getting from this packinghouse . If this proves to be a turning point in this industry , then this president did what he had to do not only for himself but for all the growers to see a better return on there hard work and investment .


I'm sorry but you're not making sense, maybe you don't understand a pooling system. The packing house pools the production from hundreds of growers and sells everyones' production for the best prices they can get. In theory, one seller would be able to command a higher premium from the market than hundreds of individual sellers (divide and conquer, right?). Part of what makes it work is that they need to know how much of a particular grade and variety they have to sell. When growers bail on the contract part way through the season it leaves less poundage to spread the costs of the overhead against. This raises costs for all growers that are still in the pool and gives them a nice slap in the face.

The market pays the growers not really the Packinghouse, they are just the middle man. You make it sound like the Packinghouse decides what growers should get paid, well, the market decides that. There is also a grower elected board of directors for the Packinghouse. If you don't like how the Packinghouse is run you can go to the board of directors to raise your concerns. You could also honor your commitment to the Packinghouse, deliver your apples to them for the year and then not sign up with them the following year if that is your prerogative.

Of course this year it is easy to find good prices because of the late spring frost in the east that wiped out the crops there. Eastern buyers are out here looking for apples to cover the shortfall. So anyone selling directly to eastern Canada isn't a marketing whiz, its likely just a 1 year flash. I'm not sure how 1 grower bailing on a contract is going to provide a turning point in this industry, change is already in the wind anyway. The Packinghouse CEO has been let go and replaced and the new guy has a good track record so lets see how it works out.
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by dinosaur »

lsj777 wrote:My opinion is that Mr . Boparai was the one person that had the guts to stand up for the growers


Its not a matter of guts. I don't see how guts is involved when all that comes out of his mouth is an unmitigated barrage of meaningless cliches and stale personal attacks which he repeats at every opportunity. If Mr. Boparai seems like the one grower who had the guts to stand up, that is because at every meeting he monopolized the microphone and railroaded them, filling them with meaningless banter; by which I mean that he never puts forward any constructive ideas.
Because of the disgaceful way Boparai was elected and has behaved the BCFGA can be ignored now, more than ever; who the BCFGA represents and what they stand for now is unclear because we do not have access to meetings of the cabal that put him in power. If there are any punjabis in the know reading this; why did he get elected? Is he the real leader? Is the official mandate of the BCFGA (the one discussed and voted on the convention floor) and the mandate of the cabal that put him in power the same, and if not what are the differences?
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diggerdick
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

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BCFGA president's orchards a moth hot spot
Friday, 09 November 2012 02:00 J.P. SQUIRE http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/local ... 11912.html
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One of the 'hot spots' for codling moth in East Kelowna is orchards owned or leased by B.C. Fruit Growers' Association president Kirpal Boparai.
An East Kelowna map on the Sterile Insect Release (SIR) program website (oksir.org) shows red-coloured blocks where more than 15 moths per trap were discovered in a season.
An orchard owned by Boparai at 3755 Senger Rd. is red as well as two adjacent orchards he has leased for several years. Two other orchards on Senger and Penrose roads were recently leased by him and are coloured light green for one to 15 moths per trap per season.
"If they are red, they are a problem or what we call a high site," said SIR compliance officer Sherri Kimmie. "If you are a red, you could get from 15 and up. You could get 100 or 200."
SIR staff hang traps, check them on a weekly basis, check the fruit, do harvest sampling and band trees with cardboard rings to pull 30-40 per cent of the larvae that come out of the fruit.
"It's a huge education program so when we find problems, we like to meet with the owners and look at what they spray, what their timing was, their management practices and we can help them tweak that so they spray at the right time," she said.
The worst-case scenario is a tree-removal order. No orders were issued this year.
"We're pretty much down to where we want to be. We still have a few hot spots around. We ask for their spray records; we like to meet with them over the winter so that they have a plan for the next spring," said Kimmie.
"We have been dealing with that corner of Senger Road for some time. What we try to do is communicate with the growers. Unfortunately, we haven't communicated with Mr. Boparai as yet. We haven't seen any spray records and I've asked for them several times. When we try to communicate, we get no response. We haven't decided what we are going to do with him at this point."
SIR staff will review that situation over the winter.
Hot spots "absolutely" put surrounding orchards in danger of infestation, she said.
"At the moment, we don't know what his management practices are because he doesn't share that with us even though we request it. Last year, he wouldn't either. It was the same: no response from him."
SIR hasn't posted warnings and has not issued any warning letters, she said. "I email everything because he won't talk on the phone. He's receiving them or they would pop back. It's unfortunate."
Earlier in the week, Boparai told The Daily Courier not to phone him any more.
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damngrumpy
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by damngrumpy »

I do understand the pooling contract I have a contract as a matter of fact.
There was a contract in place and it was allegedly not honored therefore
he was kicked out. There were a lot of people who were not happy I was
no happy but that does not give me the right to disregard my contract.
I have gone by the rules like most farmers who have not been happy. Change
comes by going to meetings standing up for what you believe and voting for
reps that will bring about change in a changing world. It does not mean one
should go out and look after their own short term interests while holding a
public office which bears the responsibilities of looking after the interests of
all growers and apparently that did not happen.
This will go on for sometime I am afraid before the ship is set right.
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

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Grower should 'face the music': Sardinha
Friday, 16 November 2012 02:00 J.P. SQUIRE
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The embattled president of the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association showed up before a regional meeting in Oliver Wednesday night, but left before the meeting started.
"Actually, it was rather interesting because the president (Kirpal Boparai) showed up like he was going to do his presidential report at the meeting, but didn't say a word to the members and then mysteriously disappeared thereafter," said Summerland grower Joe Sardinha.
So BCFGA vice-president Jeet Dirkhia read Boparai's report to the regional meeting, the first of four meetings planned this month. Penticton growers met Thursday night; Kelowna orchardists will meet on Nov. 28; and Vernon growers meet on Nov. 29. An update from the president is usually presented at each meeting. http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/front ... 11612.html
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

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BCFGA president misses another meeting http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/local ... 12012.html
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 02:00 J.P. SQUIRE
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Another regional meeting for the B.C. Fruit Growers' Association, another no-show by its embattled president.
The second of four regional meetings leading up to the annual convention on Jan. 19 was held in Penticton on Thursday. The Kelowna regional meeting is Nov. 28 and Vernon meeting on Nov. 29.
BCFGA president Kirpal Boparai showed up at the Oliver regional meeting last Wednesday but left before the meeting began. His annual report was read by vice-president Jeet Dukhia.
At the second regional meeting in Penticton, "it was interesting again because neither the president nor the vice-president were there," said Summerland grower Joe Sardinha who was nominated a second time for 2013 vice-president.
"We're all curious by their absence. This is the time of the year where we expect either-or to deliver a presidential or interim report as to the activities of the BCFGA. This time around, it was one of the executive members, Peter Simonsen, who did that and (general manager) Glen Lucas," said Sardinha.
"It was our understanding that at the very least (Dukhia) would to be there for the Okanagan-Skaha regional meeting. I can't recall for a number of years where neither one was present at a regional meeting where among other things nominations take place, resolutions get dealt with and reporting gets done."
At the Penticton meeting, Fred Steele of Kelowna was again nominated for 2013 president, and incumbents Simonsen from Naramata and Denise MacDonald from Summerland were again nominated as district directors on the BCFGA executive.
Sardinha, who sat on the executive for 11 years, was president for seven years ending in 2011.
On Oct. 23, a majority of 200-300 growers attending the annual general meeting of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Co-op asked their board to issue an ultimatum to the BCFGA: get rid of Boparai or the co-op would withhold funds it collected for the association.
The AGM followed a Sept. 27 co-op board meeting when the 10 directors voted unanimously to cancel Boparai's apple contract, other fruit contracts and his membership for breaching his co-op contract. Boparai claimed it was a conspiracy to shut him up after he wanted change.
Allegations of harassment and threats against co-op employees, senior managers and directors then surfaced. Then allegations that Boparai didn't pay his two Mexican farm workers in full. And finally, allegations that he has a serious codling moth infestation on three orchards he owns or leases in East Kelowna but he won't work with the Sterile Insect Release (SIR) program to resolve the problem.
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twofingers
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by twofingers »

The man is rude.
Period.
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johnhenry
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by johnhenry »

Mr. Bopari has resigned. If his intent was to bring attention to the plight of the growers, then he has succeeded.
Words out of your mouth are like bullets out of a gun.
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damngrumpy
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by damngrumpy »

Oh he drew attention to the problem and that problem unfortunately became himself.
The government nor the opposition is really communicating whit the industry at the moment.
There are strained relations with the packinghouses and other agricultural institutions.
It wasn't about informing growers or drawing attention to their plight, it was about being loud,
rude and causing discourse with all he met.
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Re: Hey - BCFGA President (Boparai) was kicked out of the co

Post by Thinktank »

Thinktank wrote:
Actually, 50% of the best growers stopped going about their business
in the last twenty years, packing houses shut down, and with $50 million debt,
a lot more of the best growers will be closing up in the next few years.

on the positive side - Washington state grew from ten times as big as BC industry
to twenty times as big. that's not bad. :sunshine:


.

LANDM wrote:Where do you get these ideas??? The best growers will always tend to stay in business, barring retirement or other opportunity. It's the bottom growers that fade out.
What do you base your statements on?


So LANDM - it looks like some good growers are sending their fruit to USA to be packed.
That'll hurt BC Tree Fruits - resulting in even the best growers not making as much money as they should be.


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

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

Post by LANDM »

They are doing that because they project the returns to be better.....they are top growers and doing that to stay in business here in BC. Exactly what I said.
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