Wild is the word
Blueberry growers looking to promote health benefits, grow their market
As the 2017 blueberry season winds down, growers are determined to get the word out about the many health benefits of Nova Scotia’s wild blueberries.
John Cameron, a local grower and president of AIGAS Farms, Ltd., believes that good things are on the horizon, as Nova Scotian producers are looking for bigger markets for their berries.
With about a week’s worth of harvesting remains for this season for Cameron, he sees some good signs on the horizon for blueberry growers.
Cameron is cautiously optimistic about upcoming trade deals with Europe and China – the first of which will entail the removal of a tariff on Canadian products going to Europe. A potential tariff reduction or removal is in the works in the case of China, pending the outcome of trade negotiations.
“Anytime a tariff is removed, it’s going to increase interest and sales because of the lower price. We have a fantastic product, and the Chinese, in particular, appreciate the health benefits of blueberries,” said Cameron. “Despite the tariffs, there are still berries moving into China. It’s not the be-all-and-end-all, but it’s going to help move some of the product.”
Sandy MacKay, a local blueberry grower, said in the 50 years he’s been at it, this year is the worst he’s ever seen.
“The price is so low, that it’s just not worth it,” said MacKay. “It’s the quantity of blueberries – we’re competing with high bush blueberries and they’ve had two or three good seasons, while we’ve had bumper crops we put in freezers.”
MacKay believes the solution is that growers in Nova Scotia have to sell more blueberries – particularly to overseas markets.
“There are so many blueberries frozen in storage now, it’s not going to do it, just to try and sell them at home,” said MacKay. “We’re going to have to sell domestically, and overseas.”
MacKay believes promotion is essential, noting that it frustrates him to see grocery stores selling Chilean blueberries in the winter, and customers are picking them – because they are fresh – when there are so many locally grown blueberries frozen in storage.
“It sickens me, being a farmer, to see that – we have frozen wild blueberries all year round,” said MacKay. “If I go to buy something, I try to buy what’s made in Canada.”
Cameron said building a bigger market, both locally and abroad, for wild blueberries is “simply a matter of spreading the word,” which is exactly what the Wild Blueberry Association of Nova Scotia is seeking to do, promoting their product as an exceptionally healthy food.
“The launch (of the association’s campaign) was at Mastodon Ridge, last week. I wasn’t there myself, because we’re in the middle of a harvest, but we have many bloggers checking it out, from Germany and China, on trade missions,” said Cameron. “We’re trying to move this stuff as best we can, to get the word out that wild blueberries are certainly the best, and the healthiest for you.”
Cameron believes the difficulty Nova Scotian growers face in getting their berries to market lies more in the need for promotion, rather than an oversupply or undersupply.
He said promotion is crucial in a price-sensitive marketplace that is perpetually at the whims of the stock market.
“If the Japanese economy is in a slump, we’re one of the first things to go,” said Cameron. “We’re more of a luxury item. But with wild blueberries, we still have such a great health story, once that gets out there and catches on.
“When people read about the cognitive retention for eight- to ten-year-olds, no parent in the world wouldn’t be feeding their children wild blueberries – lots of studies support that.”
This year in particular, local blueberry crops are down, Cameron noted, mostly due to the lack of rain. He added that blueberry growers in Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec are afflicted with a similar plight – all on account of how dry the weather has been.
“People haven’t used bees this year. Because of the suspected downturn in price, people are trying to keep input costs as low as they can,” said Cameron, “because if they don’t, they’ll get into a situation where they lose money.”
According to Cameron, this trend has been ongoing: “I do see changes in supply. A lot of ground has been taken out of production in the last couple of years, because of the downturn. I think we’re going to be in a situation where there may be an undersupply.”
Cameron said he sees the trend changing – hopefully sooner than later – because of the diligent work growers have been doing to get the word out about the wild blueberry.