USA UU (New Jersey): Excellent start to harvest blueberries

07/07/2015

The blueberry harvest has begun in New Jersey, and according to Atlantic County grower and New Jersey Farm Bureau member Denny Doyle, the harvest is excellent this year. The rain that has fallen in New Jersey in recent weeks, followed by the current drier conditions, has been ideal for a good harvest. «We are going strong«says Doyle.

«Blueberries are the state fruit of New Jersey, which identifies them easily as one of our most important crops«says Ryck Suydam, president of the Agricultural Bureau. «The total value of our 2014 crop was 79,5 million dollars, an 40 percent more than in 2013. The value of this year could be higher, since the time you have done before the season has stimulated the growth of the crop. Our farmers are recognized as the producers of some of the best quality blueberries on the market that are shipped to all of the United States and Canada.«. New Jersey is considered a major producer of the Highbush variety. In fact, the Highbush blueberry was first grown commercially in New Jersey.

According to the US Department of Agriculture's 2012 agricultural census, blueberries are the second most important commercial berry crop in the country, with a total crop value of about 850,9 million dollars in 2012. At 2012, the United States exported fresh blueberries worth 145,7 million dollars, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. Canada was the main buyer by far, followed by Japan.

Source: Freshplaza.es