New Brunswick looks to dethrone Maine from top seed in blueberries
PHOTO CREDIT / LORI VALIGRA
The government of New Brunswick have announced the opening up of 4,000 acres of public land for wild blueberry farming — with the goal of becoming the top producer of the wild fruit on the planet.
The government of New Brunswick has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging the state of Maine for global blueberry dominance as officials of the Canadian Maritime province have announced the opening up of 4,000 acres of public land for wild blueberry farming — with the goal of becoming the top producer of the wild fruit on the planet.
Maine currently is the global leader in wild blueberry production, with roughly 44,000 acres of wild blueberries contributing $250 million to the state’s economy. That translates into 70 million to 100 million pounds of the fruit.
The provincial government is leasing the land in the northeastern counties of Gloucester and Northumberland, with 37 applications from blueberry farmers being accepted with leases ranging between 24 and 57 acres each, according to CBC News.
“The allocation and development of these lands will contribute to making New Brunswick the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world,” Rick Doucet, New Brunswick’s Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister, said in a statement about the opening of the land. “The wild blueberry industry is poised for expansion in New Brunswick.”
Maine blueberry farmers shouldn’t rush to ramp up harvesting efforts this season — the 78 million pounds of wild blueberries harvested in in New Brunswick account for only 25% of Canada’s blueberry industry, contributing an estimated $39 million to the economy of our neighbors to the north.
It will take between six and eight years before the land in Gloucester and Northumberland is fully developed, First Nations communities department spokeswoman Vicky Deschênes told CBC News.
"When fully developed it should contribute conservatively [eight] million more [pounds] annually," Deschênes said in an email to the CBC.
But if New Brunswick is looking for a few million pounds of wild blueberries, Maine might be a good place to start — the state did just sell 30 million pounds of blueberries to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for $13 million.
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