ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Blueberries have become a major agricultural crop in British Columbia and new research funding is expected to aid the industry.
The federal government has allocated $185,000 in funding to the B.C. Blueberry Council for three projects.
The funding will support two research projects that will prevent the introduction and spread of blueberry diseases and will also develop an industry-wide approach to managing berry diseases.
Ranjit Gill’s family has been farming in the lower mainland’s Fraser Valley east of Vancouver and producing berries, including blueberries, since the late 1960s.
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“We have seen explosive growth in acres, but worldwide demand has been there to pick up the increased production,” he said.
“The world’s population is aging and with it their diets. The blueberry is a great crop to farm and B.C. is the best place in the world to produce the berries,” Gill said.
Farmers in the region agree. In the past five years, thousands of acres in the region have been converted from vegetable crops and hay into higher value blueberries.
Nearly 18,000 acres of blueberries are growing in B.C. and the acreage rises by more than 1,000 acres annually. B.C. is the second largest producer of cultivated blueberries in North America, with estimated production of more than 33 million kilograms in 2007.
Funding will help develop a strategic plan to set priorities and direction for B.C.’s blueberry sector.
Gill said despite a lot of producer experience in the crop there are still some blight issues that aren’t well understood.
This year producers are experiencing a delayed crop because of a late April frost. In some areas the yield won’t cover costs, but overall, the crop has been profitable, said Gill.
Other producers say last year was also a tough year, with rain coming in the middle of harvest, sending a lot of berries from the fresh packed market to the frozen foods aisle.
Larger inventories in the frozen business kept a lid on prices this year after last year’s production shortage and high consumer demand.
However, producers anticipate low inventories in 2009 as a result, which should bode well for next year’s price.
Farmers say price discovery in the berries doesn’t occur until well into the season’s production.
It takes several years to establish a berry plantation and despite increased mechanization in the industry it remains labour intensive for most growers. But with average yields of 4,600 pounds per acre and prices moving from below $1 a lb. in 2002 to above $1.60 last season, there is incentive for farmers to invest in the crop.
Will Van Baalen, executive director of the council, said the federal money means that research into disease issues that would not have taken place will now be done.
Funding for the initiatives was provided through Agriculture Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food program.
Farmers said research into bee diseases is another area that growers are interested in seeing more work. Producers said poor pollination as a result of fewer and less vigorous bees has also reduced berry production.
