COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2019
Overseas markets demand top quality Blueberry growers face stagnating market at home, forcing them to get better
by RONDA PAYNE LANGLEY – Blueberry
production continues to increase across North America while domestic consumption has stagnated. Growers have therefore looked to exports to increase sales, but overseas markets demand excellent quality. Speaking at the 2018 field
day in Langley on November 20, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada fruit sector specialist Farid Makki said blueberry production has been “going through the roof.” “We’re in for a very, very competitive environment,” he says. “More and more, we rely on export markets.” Based on data from the 2016 North American Blueberry Council report,
Makki estimates North American production will reach 940 million pounds by 2019. Global production is expected to hit 1.9 billion pounds at the same time. On the flip side, tariffs are high with China at 30%, Korea at 22.5% (until it reduces to zero in 2024), Vietnam is 15% and the Philippines 7%. Makki feels tariffs may explain lacklustre exports to China, which granted access to BC berries in 2016. China imported just shy of $900,000 worth of blueberries that year, and less than $300,000 in 2018. Growers must take advantage of the market while Canada has access and US growers do not, Makki says. Exceptional quality would go a long way to
Gerbrandt coordinates berry research The BC Blueberry Council, Raspberry Industry
Development Council and BC Strawberry Growers Association recognized the need for a common point of contact and management for berry research and have hired Eric Gerbrandt for the part-time role. Gerbrandt, a long-time berry researcher, says the
organizations came together to establish the role and manage it through a group process. “The BCBC, RIDC and BCSGA are collaborating by jointly hiring me as their research director to manage and further develop their research portfolio, facilitate coordination between researchers working on berry crops and enhance communication between the berry industry and researchers,” he says. With numerous past research projects in areas such as
raspberry decline, benefits of various inputs in blueberries and strawberry soils, Gerbrandt has been involved in the industry hands-on. He hopes to bring greater consistency to communications between researchers and the berry associations.
– Ronda Payne
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giving Canadian berries traction in China. “Some Canadian shipments of blueberries arrived in China in poor condition,” he notes. It’s a shot to the gut for
growers who take pride in their berries, yet more must be done to compete with Chilean growers, who shipped approximately $80 million (100,000 tonnes) worth of berries in 2016. Chile is the main supplier of fresh blueberries in the North American off-season. Because 95% of fresh blueberries are sent ocean freight, a shelf life of more than 60 days must be achieved. “[Chilean growers] have been able to accomplish things of this nature,” Makki told BC growers. “I think we should be able to do the same.”
Not rocket science
Peter Toivonen, research scientist of postharvest physiology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has experience in exporting cherries, and told growers blueberries and cherries face similar challenges reaching their markets in tip-top shape. Quality begins in the field
with production practices that optimize fruit quality; harvest techniques that minimize injury; rapid cooling and transfer to the packing house; and selecting lots that have the best shipping potential.
“There’s nothing rocket science about this really,” he says. “There’s lots of things that happen when fruit sits out in the sun. That was a game changer for cherries. It’s time. It starts to lose quality every minute, every second it’s off that bush.” Reflective tarps that help
prevent exposure to sunlight can help protect fruit. Created by Bushpro Supplies Inc. of Vernon, the Mylar tarps can be ordered in any size, sell for as little as $15 each and last upwards of five years. “It preserves the quality of that fruit even in a high humidity environment,” says Toivonen. “It buys you time.” Toivonen also advises
growers to plan trips from the field to cooler with quality in mind. This often means sending small lots to the packing house more often rather than waiting in the field for large lots to fill. Whether in the field or the
packing house, handling fruit can lead to bruising and while this damage isn’t seen at first, it’s apparent to the consumer. Bruising is a risk both during picking and every transfer. Toivonen advises growers to make use of “softer” corrugated buckets and to teach pickers how to reduce bucket drop bruising. Reducing transfers also makes a significant difference. “Just think about what could possibly be done to reduce transfers,” he says. “It’s
not the average fruit softness that matters. It’s the number of soft fruit in the box. I can’t say that enough times. The more you handle it, the more you’re going to have damaged fruit.” Compression bruising that leads to softness can be reduced by not piling fruit deeply (keep trays less than 12 inches deep), filling ruts in fields and teaching pickers to not squeeze fruit while picking. “The four most important
issues for quality are temperature, temperature, temperature and temperature,” Toivonen notes. “Get it as close to zero as possible before getting it on the truck.” He feels this is one of the least used beneficial fruit shipping strategies. A reduced temperature
(0.5° Celsius) slows and even prevents fungal decay during storage or shipping, increases firmness and keeps fruit fresh. This is essential for fruit in transport because it respirates. As it respirates, temperatures rise and accordingly, so does decay. Fruit starting at 0.5° degrees Celsius will climb to 5° after 25 days of storage. “It’s heating up, but it’s not heating up as fast,” he says. “Flats in the middle of the truck will be the hottest.” He also recommends
pyramid stacking or other methods that allow airflow.
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