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Abby grower takes BCBC helm


Jason Smith is well aware of the seemingly endless string of challenges faced by blueberry producers. By Grant Ullyot


B


orn and raised on a blueberry farmin Abbotsford, Jason Smith is a fourth generation grower


who farms 15 acres onMatsqui Flats. His great-grandfather planted the first blueberries on aGladwin road farmin 1949. Smith succeedsMikeMakara as chair


of the B.C. Blueberry Council (BCBC) which oversees the operations of the blueberry industry. The newchair recently returned from


ameeting of theNorth American Blueberry Council (NABC) held in California,where he says they talked about the expansion that has characterized the industry the last few years. That expansion has been phenomenal in B.C., but it has not been limited to this province. “It isNorth Americanwide, and you


could even sayworld-wide,” says Smith, noting the growth in South American countries such as Chile and inNew Zealand, South Africa, Korea and China. Smith said the Chinesemarket is a


major objective for Canada. Last year the Chinese agreed to let B.C. cherries into their country.Next on their list are blueberries, but there is amajor stumbling block to overcome, says Smith. The Chinese onlywantGrade A, high


quality blueberries. And even though Canada’s have a reputation for high quality, growing enough berrieswith a shelf life thatwill allowprocessing here and shipment to Chinawhile maintaining that high quality, is the challenge B.C. growers face. In the past, growerswere able to just


growstandard quality blueberries and make a profit. Their fruit found a home. But those days are gone. “Fortunately,” says Smith, “we have many growerswho are constantly


British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2014 11


striving to produce the best berry possible. I thinkwe have a lot of room and the ability to improve the overall quality of our product. “It seems our growers are facedwith


newchallenges every year. If it isn’t a safety issue, then it could be newpest problem. These contribute to an ever- shrinking profitmargin.” The spottedwing drosophila (SWD)


insect is considered to be the number one disease problemfor blueberry and other soft fruit growers in the Fraser Valley-LowerMainland areas. However, the infestation is not limited to B.C. It has become aNorth American problemand has also spread to several other areas in theworld. In the Fraser Valley there are


personnel fromboth the federal and provincial agriculture ministries seconded to dealwith the SWDproblem. Together they have developedmonitoring and control systems to reduce it, but Smith says the insect has established itselfwell andwill continue to be amajor source of concern. “Ourweather in 2013 led to a


major infestation, but this year the outlook is better andwe hope SWDwill be less of a problemthis year.Overall, the weather has been kind to the blueberry crop this year and things look favorable.Unlike last year flower bud setwas excellent inmost fields.” However, Smith cautions,


“anything can yet happen in the roller coasterworld of blueberry farming.”


He is concerned that there is too


much fruit in the freezer, themajority ofwhich he says is B grade or less.He feels findingmarkets for this lower quality fruit could be a problem As previously stated, the blueberry


industry has experienced tremendous growth and is still expanding, unlike other agricultural sectors in B.C. In some cases growers are replacing older plantswith higher quality stock. The industry has also established a breeding programtogetherwith the raspberry and strawberry growers. “We are hoping to develop new


varietieswhichwill not only growwell, but produce the better berries our customers are demanding. “We are very fortunate to have


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