Vancouver, B.C. – The outlook for British Columbia's 2013 blueberry crop is strong, according to the British Columbia Blueberry Council. If current weather trends hold, picking could start as early as the first week of July, coming in a couple of weeks earlier than last year's harvest.
Early varieties of blueberry are already in full bloom, with later varieties also progressing well. Although it's too early in the season to predict the size of the harvest, the region has had great weather for pollination. While there have been reports of some farms experiencing a shortage of bees, British Columbia is expecting an ample supply of good quality blueberries for the 2013 season.
"The last couple of years have been record crops for BC, but picking has started late," said Debbie Etsell, executive director of the BC Blueberry Council. "The combination of the mild winter and warm spring this year puts us on track for a harvest that is more typical, as far as timing goes, starting around the first or second week of July."
About the British Columbia Blueberry Council
The British Columbia Blueberry Council represents over 800 blueberry growers, located in some of Canada's most rich and fertile farmland. Plantings of premium quality highbush blueberries top 11,000 hectares in British Columbia and produce upwards of 55 million kilograms of blueberries annually. With more than $1 billion in sales in the past five years, Canada is the third largest national producer of sweet and juicy highbush blueberries in the world. Available fresh in B.C. from July through October, BC blueberries are also frozen, dried, juiced, puréed and powdered, available for year round-distribution throughout Canada and around the world.
Source: British Columbia Blueberry Council
