Napan, New Brunswick – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today announced an investment of over $1,700,000 to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) which will be used to market and promote Canadian wild blueberries internationally.
The investment will help the wild blueberry sector to access new, and boost existing, foreign markets. Marketing campaigns targeted at the United States, European Union and East Asia will promote the benefits of using Canadian wild blueberries. In addition outreach to trade representatives and consumers will occur through meetings, trade shows, and incoming missions to Canada.
Quick facts
- Formed in 1981, the Wild Blueberry Association of North America has been promoting and marketing Canada’s number one fruit export and represents and assists growers and processors in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
- In 2013, wild blueberries generated close to $196 million in export sales.
- Wild blueberry production in Canada has increased to meet export demand which, over the past 10 years, has grown by over $40 million.
- The AgriMarketing Program is a five-year, $341-million initiative under Growing Forward 2 that seeks to build and promote Canada's ability to expand domestic and export markets through promotional activities to help position and differentiate Canadian products.
Source: AAFC