The minimum rates for paying for 15 types of hand-picked produce will be going up by 3.9 per cent on Dec. 31.

Farm workers can be paid either in either salaries, hourly wages or for certain hand-harvested agricultural produce by specific per-crop rates.

The 15 crops that are covered are peaches, apricots, brussel sprouts, daffodils, mushrooms, apples, beans, blueberries, cherries, grapes, pears, peas, prune plums, raspberries and strawberries.

The minimum rates will be going up to match the previous year's inflation rate as per the Employment Standards Act, which also will see an increase to the general minimum wage. 

The new minimum rates per produce can be found below: 

Apples: $24.05 a bin (27.1 ft3 / 0.767 m3)
Apricots: $27.67 a 1/2 bin (13.7 ft3 / 0.388 m3)
Beans: $0.329 a pound / $0.726 a kg
Blueberries: $0.558 a pound / $1.230 a kg
Brussels sprouts: $0.230 a pound / $0.506 a kg
Cherries: $0.317 a pound / $0.698 a kg
Grapes: $25.56 a 1/2 bin (13.7 ft3 / 0.388 m3)
Mushrooms: $0.332 a pound / $0.731 a kg
Peaches: $25.56 a 1/2 bin (12.6 ft3 / 0.357 m3)
Pears: $27.08 a bin (27.1 ft3 / 0.767 m3)
Peas: $0.411 a pound / $0.907 a kg
Prune plums: $27.08 a 1/2 bin (13.7 ft3 / 0.388 m3)
Raspberries: $0.502 a pound / $1.107 a kg
Strawberries: $0.484 a pound / $1.067 a kg
Daffodils*: $0.193 a bunch (10 stems)
*Does not include the four per cent vacation pay included in all other rates

Employers in B.C. are required to post notices on site stating what the piece rate is for each crop, the size of the picking containers and how much is needed to fill them. 

Piece rates in B.C. were previously increased by 11.5 per cent in January 2019 and 6.9 per cent in January 2024.