32 Importer support needed for berry agency Stories by PETER MITHAM


ABBOTSFORD – Canada’s raspberries are up for a promotion with the Farm Products Council of Canada’s approval of a proposal to form a national promotion and research agency (PRA) for the industry. Submitted in 2012 by the BC Raspberry Council, which


represents growers farming more than 4,300 acres or 60% of the country’s plantings – the application proposed an agency working on behalf of growers and importers. It would promote the fruit regardless of origin and work to develop raspberries better suited for Canada. However, the Farm Products Council of Canada returned the


original application, asking for more proof that the proposal had industry-wide support for its mandate. The information was supplied and public hearings took place in Abbotsford and Ottawa. A decision dated October 2014 was released this past January. “The Panel is satisfied that the majority of raspberry


producers in Canada are in favour of the establishment of a raspberry PRA,” its report concluded. “The Panel is further satisfied that the establishment of a raspberry PRA in Canada is in the public interest.” It noted that any levy introduced to fund the new agency


would have little impact on raspberry prices – and therefore the consumer – while greater awareness of raspberries would well serve both consumers and producers. Moreover, the agency would make better use of the limited


resources available to the industry for research and promotion, allowing it “to pool resources, leverage government research


funding and collaborate with other similar associations in other countries on projects of common interest.” This year, for example, the BC industry will research shoot burning – the removal of the first new shoots – in collaboration with the Washington Red Raspberry Commission. There are also long-standing, collaborative relationships regarding new cultivars. “Research activities will assist in varietal development or


improvements in productivity, yield or the production of fruits that better meet the needs of consumers,” the federal report said.


One task left The one task left for industry is to demonstrate that


importers support the new agency’s creation. Since importers deliver 65 million pounds of fruit to consumers, while domestic producers harvest a mere 26.4 million pounds annually, the agency will depend on their support. Approximately 71% of the $0.005 a pound levy proposed to fund the agency’s activities will come from imported fruit. Sukh Kahlon of Kahlon Farms Ltd. in Abbotsford reported to


BC Raspberry Council members at the council’s annual meeting in March that importer support shouldn’t be difficult to obtain. He noted that many local packers also import fruit. Combined with a number of Chilean firms that bring fruit into Canada, the support of a majority of importers seemed within reach. At the time of application, there were approximately 121 known raspberry importers active in Canada.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MAY 2017


Research matters


Greater resources for


research means scientists like Eric Gerbrandt are better able to take on projects that help berry growers manage their crops better.


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Berry Resource Centre, Gerbrandt looks forward to expanding the scope of several projects this year with a view to benefitting raspberry growers. A course of fumigation trials planned for strawberries will also include raspberries. An investigation into the science behind various inputs – “foo juice,” as he called them – that began last year with funding from the BC Blueberry Council will expand this year to include raspberries. Gerbrandt hopes to look at the impact on raspberries of materials like humic acid, kelp extract and high- phosphate fertilizers and other so-called “magical products” to determine if and how they work. Gerbrandt will also continue his


collaboration with breeder Michael Dossett towards new berry varieties. Rudiberry and Squamish are two varieties gaining in popularity versus Meeker, the dominant variety in BC, but he said grower management is the key variable in how well they perform. The two varieties have also exhibited root rot issues. Gerbrandt is excited about the selections coming out of Washington, especially WSU-2166, which shows good potential for root rot resistance as well as good colour and fruit that exceeds that of Cascade Harvest. It is similar in season to Willamette. Cascade Harvest is


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looking good, yielding large berries with good flavor, but Gerbrandt doesn’t expect it to revolutionize the industry. It yields well, but shows some signs of root rot even though it’s supposed to be resistant to the disease. Another round of six to eight BC selections should be ready to go in the ground this year and Gerbrandt is hopeful that some will receive numbers and proceed to further evaluation.


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