British Columbia’s cranberry crop is a whopper this year.
Mike Wallace, executive director of the B.C. Cranberry Growers Association, said the 91 million pound harvest is the biggest production year to date, largely because of a favourable growing year and an increase in acres.
Sixty million lb. of cranberries were produced last year.
A wet spring caused early concerns about pollination issues, but the worries eased as an extended fall allowed berries to reach maturity.
“Overall, everyone is pretty happy,” Wallace said. “Quality is fine and there are good-sized berries, largely because of the hot weather at the end of summer. There wasn’t much rain, but cranberry growers are set up to irrigate.”
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Quebec, the country’s largest cranberry producer, also had a strong harvest: slightly more than 185 million lb. compared to the average 165 million lb.
Wallace said it is difficult to predict prices in B.C. because Ocean Spray, a co-operative that accounts for up to 95 percent of the region’s market, has a complex pricing scheme.
“How they pay out depends on how long you’ve been with the company, what kind of equity you have with them, what kind of shares you hold, and which pool you’re in,” Wallace said.
“So when it comes to price, I can’t really tell you.”
Ocean Spray, the world’s largest cranberry processor, recently opened a $26 million receiving station in Richmond, B.C.
It is capable of processing 1.4 million kilograms of cranberries per day.
Five to eight percent of cranberry producers in Quebec are Ocean Spray members.
North America is the world’s primary cranberry production area, and Wallace said B.C. accounts for 12 to 15 percent of total production.
