Vancouver, B.C. – The British Columbia Blueberry Council can now confirm that this year's fresh blueberry season was the region's best ever, producing a crop estimated at 105 million pounds. This harvest again makes British Columbia the world's largest highbush blueberry growing region.
"While the season was a little slow to start, the rain in June combined with the fantastic sunny weather from July through September resulted in a record year once again," said Debbie Etsell, Executive Director of the British Columbia Blueberry Council. "Our farmers were able to continue harvesting well into mid-October this year, maintaining high-quality berries through to the end of the season."
This year's harvest tops last year's record crop of 95 million pounds. The increase can be attributed to both additional acreage of plantings maturing, as well as the favourable weather conditions. British Columbia boasts around 23,000 acres of premium blueberry plantings, with primary growing areas located in Abbotsford, Delta, Pitt Meadows, Richmond and Surrey. The BC Blueberry Council represents over 800 local growers.
Blueberries are Canada's number one exported fruit and the global demand for sweet BC blueberries, with huge markets in China, Japan, Korea, India and Europe, has allowed local growers to build a major international industry from within the Fraser Valley. While fresh blueberries from BC are in high demand, approximately half of each year's crop heads to processors, who freeze, dry, juice or purée the berries, making them available both locally and to international markets year-round.
About the British Columbia Blueberry Council
The British Columbia Blueberry Council represents over 800 blueberry growers, located in some of Canada's most rich and fertile farmland. Plantings of premium quality highbush blueberries top 8,100 hectares in British Columbia and produce upwards of 40 million kilograms of blueberries annually. With more than $1 billion in sales in the past five years, Canada is the third largest national producer of sweet and juicy highbush blueberries in the world. Available fresh in Canada from July through October, BC blueberries are also frozen, dried, juiced, pureéd and powdered, available for year round-distribution throughout the world.
Source: British Columbia Blueberry Council