Feeling blue
Drought blamed for low numbers, inventory suspected for price drop
Lower yield has not resulted in a price boost for Prince Edward Island’s blueberry harvest, says the president of the P.E.I. Wild Blueberry Growers Association.
John Handrahan said a growing season marked by cold, wet weather during pollination and followed almost immediately by an extended dry summer has resulted in fewer and smaller berries in the fields. He said the situation is similar throughout the Maritimes, Quebec and Maine.
He said he is hearing estimates of the yield being down about 30 per cent in some areas and he estimates the Prince Edward Island harvest will see a 25 per cent drop.
While lower yields is sometimes offset by higher prices, Handrahan said that’s not the case this year.
“Starting price was 30 cents (a pound) last year. Starting price this year is 20 cents,” he reported.
“My computer’s giving me errors on that one, too,” he admitted.
He said growers have not
been given a reason for the price drop, but there’s speculation it’s inventory-related.
“But then again, it’s an opening price,” he said indicating that while buyers have not given any commitment to a higher price, growers are hoping it will move upwards.
In Christopher’s Cross, Leo and Lawreen Handrahan were running berries over a grader and weighing berries pickers were bringing in from their Upick operation. They, too, were seeing a noticeable decrease in berry size but, like the president of their association, they are finding the berries have a more intense flavor this year. While processors set the price for berries sent for processing, Leo Handrahan said growers still set the price for U-Pick berries, and that price hasn’t changed.
The mechanical harvest of berries started in eastern P.E.I. late last week and machines entered fields in West Prince on Thursday. John Handrahan said the mechanical harvest will take about three weeks to complete and he said U-pickers can continue to visit the U-pick fields during that time.