USDA: We'll take another 3.8 million pounds of Maine blueberries, please

Photo / Lori Valigra The USDA says it will purchase 3.8 million pounds of wild Maine blueberries.

Write a Comment

By Staff

For the second time in 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said that it will purchase an additional 3.8 million pounds of Maine wild blueberries to distribute to food banks and other charitable organizations across the country.

“With the harvest getting underway in the weeks ahead, this news comes at a critical time for Maine blueberry growers,” Maine’s congressional delegation said in a joint statement. “Not only will they get financial help in recovering from low prices in 2014 and 2015, but they will also be able to make room for the incoming harvest. This is welcome support for our industry in Maine, which provides for more than 3,000 jobs in its peak season.”

In January, the delegation asked the USDA to purchase surplus blueberries through its Bonus Buy program to help growers after two back-to-back seasons of near record-breaking crop yields and a five-year decline in the prices of frozen wild blueberries. The USDA answered in April by announcing that it would purchase up to $13 million of Maine blueberries.

The USDA made an initial purchase in June of about 7.9 million pounds of berries at a cost of $8.6 million. Based on that price, the additional 3.8-million-pound purchase is worth an estimated $4.14 million, according to the delegation.