Canada: New Brunswick, the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world

18/10/2016

Last Thursday, 6 in October, the Government of New Brunswick (Canada) declared that the province is about to become one of the largest producers of wild blueberries in the world.

Currently, the Canadian blueberry industry is facing a fall in prices, which this season have plummeted to the 0,66 Canadian dollars per kilo throughout the province.

Russell Weir, owner of McKay's Blueberries and representative of Charlotte County at the Blueberry Association of New Brunswick, says: «Honestly, the prices are terrible and not at all sustainable. "I also buy blueberries from several people in Charlotte County and, if prices don't change, they are going to have to close.".

In its communiqué, the government mentions several factors, such as the interest that the cranberry sector raises in its economic plan and the cession of almost 1.600 hectares of Crown lands to produce blueberries last April.

Weir says that it has been a difficult season in terms of prices and praises the Government for its efforts, including the initiative of Crown lands. However, farmers in northeastern New Brunswick do not share their optimism, as the region's new blueberry processing plant does not accept new customers, so many farmers have no one to sell their cranberries to.

"The province has invested 40 million dollars in this new plant, which receives blueberries from Maine and other provinces, but not from the other new buyers on the peninsula", complained Jean Maurice Landry, spokesperson for the Blueberry Producers Association of Northeast New Brunswick, last August.

Source: Freshplaza.es