China: Start of Jiansu open field blueberry season
Most Chinese blueberry production takes place in the Northern regions around Dalian, Qingdao, and Nanjing. Dalian and Qingdao are known for large-scale cultivation. Jiangsu Province counts more independent, small-scale farmers.
As a result, there is little to none greenhouse cultivation of blueberries in Jiangsu Province. Even so, the open field season starts nearly four weeks earlier than in the Northeast.
"We started our production in 2012. We started with the production of blueberry seedlings. This year is the first time that we will be able to harvest a commercially viable crop of our 6.5 hectares. We specifically focus on early varieties, including the O'Neal and the Sharp Blue", says Miss Tao Xiaolan of Wuxi Modern Agriculture.
"The O'Neal blueberry is liked in China because of it sweetness and rich taste. Its sweetness is relatively high at 15 brix or higher, compared to 11 to 13 brix common for other blueberry varieties."
"We run a programme to improve the soil on our lands. Blueberries flourish on soil that is relatively acid. Before we start the planting process we try to optimise the soil. We registered our own brand under the name Blue Degrees Blueberries, which we plan to market to supermarkets and fruit chain stores."
For more information:
Miss Tao Xiaolan
Wuxi Modern Agriculture
Telephone: +86 1381 5106 242
Email: 532496738@qq.com