Ronda Payne
Debbie Etsell
High-quality B.C. blueberries will be making their way to China after almost a decade’s journey to see agreements signed. While the deal isn’t quite a wrap just yet with Chinese inspectors visiting into August and protocols not complete, it is just a matter of time.
Debbie Etsell, executive director of the BC Blueberry Council and BC Minister of Agriculture Norm Letnick were on hand when Abbotsford MP and Minister of International Trade Ed Fast announced the agreement in late June in Abbotsford.
Etsell outlines the value of this landmark to growers, British Columbia and Canada.
“It’s such a milestone,” she says. “We started working on it… nine years ago. This is a fruit that will be in high demand in China and therefore this is good news for our growers. It’s a win/win situation for all of us.”
Recognition of the number of blueberry fields being planted and a need for market diversity pushed the BC Blueberry Council to take action in gaining access for fresh blueberries into China. Financially and by volume, blueberries are Canada’s largest fruit export.
The journey to the agreement has required patience, mostly because Canada can only negotiate one fruit at a time with China and cherries made it into the queue a few weeks before blueberries.
“It wasn’t until recently, when you could see that cherries was going to get fresh market access that China engaged with Canada on blueberries,” Etsell notes.
Chinese inspectors have reviewed protocols – packaging, temporary storage, cooling, etc. to ensure Chinese requirements are in place. It is unknown at this time when the process will be finalized.
Because of the earliness of the blueberry season this year, it was unlikely that growers would have any product left to ship even if protocols had been completed and met. Shipments are expected to be on-track for the 2016 season.
“We would hope that we get full market access next year, just like cherries,” she says.
The demand for the fruit in China is bolstered by knowledge of how healthy blueberries are and specifically, blueberries from B.C. The Chinese market is already gearing up for sale of fresh fruit and value-added products like juices and even pet food.
“And the romance of where we grow it and how we grow it,” she adds. “It’s grown naturally, you’ve got mountains and you’ve got fresh clean water. Just that imagery is very important in China.”
Etsell says growers are excited about the agreement, signed June 17, and some have even been contacted directly from China asking for product. The U.S. does not have an arrangement to sell fresh blueberries to the country, putting B.C. at the forefront.
“They [growers] know that this is something good for them,” she notes.
For Etsell, the biggest concern is quality. This pressure will grow if ocean shipping is established in addition to the current plan of air shipping. She acknowledges that some varieties ship better than others and that the Chinese market has certain expectations of the fruit that comes from Canada. She pegs the size of the Chinese market demand at 50 million pounds.
“They like it big and they like it sweet,” she says. “I’ve seen the quality of cherry that comes out of British Columbia [for China], and how big it is… and it’s going to be no different for us.”
While growers are excited by the agreement, the only negative input received by Etsell has been from consumers concerned there may cause a shortage of blueberries domestically, but Etsell assures, “don’t worry, we have enough blueberries.”
