Global is the goal for blueberries
Heavy travel schedule paying off, but there’s a lotmore to be done securing new exportmarkets. By Grant Ullyot
D
ebbie Etsell, executive director of the B.C. Blueberry Council, recently completed a very busy and demanding schedule of international meetings and industry shows. Now she is away on another major trip that will take her to the Middle East.
Etsell doesn’t consider herself a world traveller, but rather a ‘business’ traveller. Her forays to major world centres have achieved positive results, and she listed China as an example of a new market opportunity for the province’s blueberry growers. However, Etsell pointed out that a main concern for Canada is the the Chinese economy. “It is in a state of flux and while our low valued Canadian dollar is a huge boost for potential exporters, we need a stable Chinese economy in which to do business.”
B.C. growers are anxiously awaiting final approval to ship fresh blueberries to China and North Korea. While trade agreements have been signed, there remain inspections, which if not approved could delay plans for major shipments of fresh berries this year.
Growers learned at this year’s Hort Short Course during the Pacific Agricultural Show that they had just weeks left to register their farms.
There is a long list of conditions that must be met, including arrangements for the all-important third party consultant. With so little time left to register this year it was suggested growers consider the option of registering for next year, which would make it easier to deal with all the requirements.
“It isn’t a case where just any grower can ship berries to China and Korea,” stated Etsell. “You have to follow protocols”
At the short course, these protocols were outlined in presentations by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Barb Peterson and Carolyn Teasdale, the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture’s new berry industry specialist. Monitoring what is happening in each blueberry field is essential, with growers expected to keep a keen eye open for different pests. “Certain traps have to be in the field; certain records need to be maintained and for that it can’t just be by the grower – records must be certified by a consultant,” noted Peterson. Spotted Wing Drosophila, prevalent in B.C. blueberry crops for about three years, is a concern for Korean inspectors. Last year, the Chinese inspectors arrived late in the season and there were only a few farms that were following the protocols. It wasn’t until Sept. 9 that the agreement was finally signed in Ottawa. The Chinese inspectors checked out the B.C. farms that had followed the protocols and in the end there were only two able to send fruit. While it wasn’t a huge shipment, at least B.C. did get some fresh blueberries to China.
Now we are into 2016 and waiting to hear if there will be a normal trade agreement in place by the beginning of production this year or whether we will have to deal with
Thunderbird Plastics Ltd.
Thunderbird Plastics Ltd.
another year of Chinese inspectors.
Having those inspectors come is not easy and it is not cheap, observed Etsell. “Expanding market opportunities for B.C. producers is a necessary and important step forward. We never know what market-driven pricing will be from one year to the next. Do you stop trying to be a global provider of blueberries? No, you have to keep on moving forward, but it does have to be feasible.”
B.C. produces a lot of blueberries — an estimated 170 million pounds in 2015. This was an increase of 18 million pounds over 2014 due to several new growers’ crops reaching their initial production peak. Estimates are that the 2016 figure may be even larger. According to Etsell and other industry
officials, B.C. must become an exporter, opening up new markets and diversifying, especially since Japan, our second largest importer, is now faced with its own economic problems.
Etsell remarked that Canada has an advantage in that the U.S. cannot ship fresh berries to China because the Americans do not have fresh market access.
However, B.C. must take note of China’s domestic blueberry production, which is ramping up and is harvested at about the same time as B.C.’s. While their berries are quite good, Etsell thinks our berries will still be in high demand. Looking to the future, Etsell says Canada is now eyeing India where she thinks there could be a strong demand for processed products.
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British Columbia Berry Grower • Spring 2016 13
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