PORTLAND, Maine – The production of wild blueberries in the U.S. had taken a dip in the 12 months 2022, in step with knowledge from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wild blueberries, which can be smaller than their cultivated opposite numbers and hired in frozen and processed merchandise, are commercially harvested most effective in Maine.
The harvest figures got here in at a little over 77.5 million kilos, down via about 25% in comparability to the earlier 12 months. As Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, Eric Venturini seen, the 12 months was once impacted because of drought, which most commonly affected the midcoast area in the state.
Nonetheless, the wild blueberry harvest it nonetheless a just right one, in spite of the demanding situations that marketers and farmers are these days dealing with. Venturini was once hopeful that the general luck will probably be maintained, noting how “everything worked perfectly, the weather conditions were perfect, Mother Nature cooperated and we ended up with a fantastic crop.”
Prices for wild blueberries stayed rather prime at about 72 cents in line with pound, not up to the earlier 12 months’s price but nonetheless upper than what growers skilled in prior years. However, Maine grower are nonetheless grappling with a number of demanding situations, together with ordinary climate patterns, difficult markets, and stiff pageant from Canada, the place the identical blueberry is grown. In addition, they proceed to fend-off fruit flies from Asia that proceed to be a main deterrent, additional hanging a damper on Maine blueberry production.
Entrepreneurs and state agriculture officers were in quest of techniques to extend consciousness of wild blueberries via selling their standing as a “superfood” because of their prime antioxidant content material. In Maine, the wild blueberry is nominated as the reputable state berry and is widely known yearly all over the Wild Blueberry Weekend on August 5 and six.
Ultimately, marketers and growers will want to to find answers that cope with the dangers and demanding situations of wild blueberry production whilst balancing a couple of elements, together with cost-effectiveness, high quality, advertising, and environmental affect. It’s necessary that marketers, growers, and state agriculture officers proceed to collaborate to spot cutting edge approaches that may enhance the long term of this important business. By addressing those problems, Maine and different states can proceed to thrive and convey fine quality wild blueberries for years yet to come.
Keywords: Wild blueberries, drought, tradeoffs, demanding situations, production, Maine, antioxidant, business, superfood
This article is a rewrite of a news piece in the past printed via The Associated Press and follows pointers equipped via the consumer for duration and tone.