Organic BC is using funding from the Abbotsford Community Foundation to build domestic markets for organic blueberries.
With trade uncertainties continuing to loom large over BC’s agriculture sector, blueberry growers have been taking steps to diversify markets.
Plans to diversify sales away from the US, the province’s single largest export market, were discussed at the BC Blueberry Council’s annual general meeting in early June.
Canada imports 4.9 million kilograms of organic blueberries each year while exporting just 1.1 million kilograms. The imbalance highlights the opportunities for domestic growers.
Organic BC has received $51,205 from the Abbotsford Community Foundation for on-farm demonstration and research trials to guide growers in developing a path forward to help them secure additional sales and profits.
“We’re grateful for this opportunity to work alongside Abbotsford’s blueberry community to explore how organic practices can build resilience, reduce risk, and open up new possibilities for BC-grown berries,” says Organic BC executive director Eva-Lena Lang in a statement. “When blueberry growers have access to the right knowledge and tools, everyone benefits.”
Organic BC previously worked with the province to demonstrate agritech adoption, including an electric tractor at Klaassen Farms in Chilliwack.
Abbotsford Community Foundation has also granted $100,000 to Simone Castellerin’s lab at UBC to accelerate the development of the next generation of blueberry varieties for BC through genomics.
All content on this website is copyrighted, and cannot be republished or reproduced without permission.
Succession sales in spotlight