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BC anticipates a strong finish for blueberry season

Sept. 2, 2015, Vancouver – After Mother Nature gave British Columbia blueberry growers a hot, dry season and the earliest start in recent history, the province’s blueberry season is drawing to a close on a high note.

With this year’s volumes expected to be on par with last year, resulting in upwards of 68 million kilograms (or 150 million pounds), the province continues to be a top global producer of highbush blueberries.

“While our 800 growers faced weather challenges this season, we remain confident that British Columbia continues to be a strong producer of highbush blueberries, and we’re expecting consistent supply into early September,” said Debbie Etsell, executive director of the British Columbia Blueberry Council. “The hot weather we’ve experienced this season has resulted in our late harvest variety, Elliott, producing some of its sweetest berries ever.”

An increase in available product in recent years has allowed the British Columbia Blueberry Council to expand its marketing efforts overseas, creating new demand for exports from the province. In addition to visits from Chinese and Korean inspectors, a trade agreement with China for fresh market access for B.C. blueberries was signed this season. This comes at a time when the demand for fresh Canadian blueberries in China is very high, due to the health benefits and quality of the product.