Newfoundland and Labrador has more than doubled its food self-sufficiency for fruit and vegetable production.

In 2017, the province set a target of growing its food self-sufficiency from 10 per cent, to 20 per cent. Now, government states that number is at 21 per cent,

Specifically, government says since 2016 the amount of crown land developed for fruit and veggie production has doubled from 590 hectares to over 1,200 hectares, resulting in the production of traditional crops such as potatoes, turnip, carrots, and strawberries.

Further, they say the province’s agriculture sector is 100 per cent self-sufficient in terms of fluid milk, chicken and eggs, and self-sufficiency in beef and sheep production has more than doubled since 2016.

Now that government has exceeded its targets, Minister Derrick Bragg says his goal is to get more young people into farming. because they need to keep the industry growing. Bragg says he would like to see another doubling of what the province has in the next three or four years.

Opposition agriculture critic Pleaman Forsey says while Minister Bragg is touting that the province is 100 per cent self-sufficient in milk, chicken and eggs, the province continues to lose farmland.

Forsey says NL has been self-sufficient in milk, chicken and eggs for many years and isn’t anything new.

He says According to Stats Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador has been losing farmland at a rate almost seven times the national average, and since 2001 the amount of farmland used has dropped by over 50 per cent.

Forsey says efforts by the provincial government are not enough and energy needs to be given to keep costs down for farmers to prevent more from leaving the industry.