Prince Edward Island's Minister of Agriculture Eric Hammill led an Island delegation to Massachusetts last week to study the state's cranberry industry.
"There is a great potential to expand cranberry production in Prince Edward Island," says Mr. Hammill. "This offers new opportunities for producers here and a way to further diversify the agriculture industry."
The August 10-11 visit enabled government and industry representatives to meet with Massachusetts growers and processors. Cranberries have been grown in the U.S. state for more than a century -- experience that the fledging Island industry hopes to use.
Chris Prouse of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, says the tour of various cranberry operations helped show that the Island's new cranberry industry is on the right track. "There is good potential for growth," he says, adding that "Islanders continue to express interest in commercial cranberry production. "
The department's horticultural specialist says the Island's cooler climate may even give it a competitive advantage over its U.S. counterpart. Prouse recalls conversations with Massachusetts cranberry growers who said that their best crops tended to grow in years that were cooler than normal. Cooler temperatures also mean less water is required to irrigate the cranberry bogs -- helping to reduce production costs.
"But the proof will be in the pudding," Prouse added. "We really won't know until the Island industry begins producing cranberries."
The Massachusetts cranberry tour provided the Island delegation with first-hand information about such things as the technical aspects of cranberry production and pest management as well as general knowledge about the industry. Most of the cranberry fields visited were small, averaging generally about five acres in size.
Cranberry fields are actually artificial bogs created by diking level ground that has been first covered with sand. Pumping stations are also built to control water levels. Once the bogs are built and planted, it takes two years of plant growth before cranberries can begin bearing fruit. About five Prince Edward Island growers are currently developing the province's first commercial crop slated for harvest in either 1999 or the year 2000.
"I think that one of the more critical aspects that we had seen on the tour was how bogs are designed and laid out," Prouse says. "That's important in an industry where high start-up costs makes it crucial to get it right -- right from the start.
Although cranberries are included in the same family as blueberries, the cranberry's higher crop yields (as much as 15,000 pounds per acre) make it more profitable to grow. However, the costs required to develop and plant cranberry bogs are higher than producing the same acreage in blueberries. With cranberries, total development and production costs could reach $30,000 per acre with plants, alone, costing between $4,000-7,000 an acre.
Despite the potentially high start-up costs, the market potential for cranberries appears strong. Increasing consumer interest in healthier lifestyles, especially among younger adults, is boosting the consumption of fruits and fruit products such as fruit drinks. This North American phenomena is also being observed in Asian and European countries.
Eight people participated in the Massachusetts cranberry tour including Mr. Hammill and Chris Prouse. Also participating were Andy Mooney, MLA -- Souris/Elmira; Brian Weatherbee, Weatherbee Manufacturing Inc.; John MacDonald, cranberry grower; Dave Clark, president, PEI Cranberry Growers' Association and association executives John Handrahan and Ron Matheson. The delegation also visited the site of a potential cranberry bog in Deblois, Maine. The site is managed by Cherryfield Foods Inc., owned by the Nova Scotia-based Oxford Frozen Foods.