30 % less of blueberries this year

Marie-Eve Dumont

Tuesday, 18 July 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Tuesday, 18 July 2017 06:30

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There should be 30 % less blueberries of Quebec this summer compared to last year, given the cold spring and too low price given to producers for their fruit.

“Producers have less invested, they put fewer bees, so the pollination has been less good. The production will thus be affected directly, ” says Ghislain St-Pierre, president of the Syndicat des producteurs de bleuets du Québec.

The production is expected to increase from 400 million pounds to 300 million this year, which includes Quebec and the Maritimes.

A “volunteer”.

Last year, the blueberry was sold at 30 cents a pound to buyers who are in charge of selling the product fresh or frozen, in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.

“It just covers our cost of production. The producer has not made a cenne, he did it on a voluntary basis, the collection and everything, ” explains Mr. St-Pierre.

Which means that producers have decided not to spend money to hire hives of bees, which would have improved the pollination.

The cold temperatures have also affected the strawberry, as some have frozen this spring. The bad weather has also hampered the pollination in some places, in addition to the strong winds.

“There are some who do not find it funny. Companies are certainly in danger “, laments Mr. St-Pierre.

Photo courtesy

Ghislain St-Pierre, the Producer of blueberries

Lack of access

The price of the blueberries on the world market is not very high at this time. The producers fear that the price for 2017, which will be negotiated within 15 days, is not better than last year.

But according to Mr. St-Pierre, the problem is not that there are too many blueberries, but not enough consumers. Quebecers also have very little access to their own blueberries, according to him.

“The people are not yet quite accustomed to eating regularly. It is also sold more blueberries in Quebec from elsewhere in the world as in Quebec. We go to the grocery store and there are blueberries from Chile, this is a problem, ” said Mr. St-Pierre.