Released on July 17, 2001
Saskatchewan is requesting an emergency Net Income Stabilization Account(NISA) trigger so farmers affected by drought can access their funds early.
"I am meeting with the federal agriculture minister tomorrow to discuss how
we can address drought conditions faced by grain and livestock farmers,"
Deputy Premier and Agriculture and Food Minister Serby said. "I will ask
Minister Vanclief whether we can help farmers better access their funds in
NISA as one option to help producers during this difficult time.
"I fully intend to discuss the federal government's role and responsibility
in dealing with the drought in Saskatchewan this year," Serby added.
"Minister Vanclief and I will be touring some of the most severely impacted
areas so the federal minister can see first hand the impact of the drought."
Saskatchewan has raised and will continue to bring up the drought issue
with the federal government Serby said, pointing out the Canadian Farm
Income Plan (CFIP) doesn't adequately address the need for emergency
funding.
The federal/provincial agreement to evaluate safety net programs will also
give Saskatchewan the opportunity to propose and make improvements to crop
insurance for 2002.
Saskatchewan, which already provides more of its budget to agricultural
programming than any other province or the federal government, does not
have the ability to fund new drought programs on its own.
Saskatchewan farmers currently have over $1.2 billion in their NISA
accounts.
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For more information, contact:
Hal Cushon, Director
Agriculture and Food
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-5961