In Quebec, the harvest of Haskap berries is about two to three weeks away and the crop outlook is positive. "I think we will see a little bit more than average harvest because we received a lot of rain at the beginning of the season and that helps a lot," says Marc-Antoine Pelletier of Ferme Les Délices du Rapide S.E.N.C.
Along with plenty of rain, Haskap berries benefit from cooler growing conditions. "We had both cool temperatures and heat during the spring so I think those conditions were pretty good for Haskap this year," says Pelletier, adding that Haskap harvest is generally a shorter one of only about four weeks.
Growing Haskap awareness
As for demand for the unique berry, it continues to grow–particularly through the efforts of the Haskap Quebec association to create awareness of the berry. "We heard from a lot of people who wanted to know more about the fruit. That's still the biggest challenge this year–getting people to know the fruit. I see demand continuing to grow in the next three to five years; after that, we will be in the market as a regular fruit," says Pelletier. He says particularly in Quebec, he anticipates awareness to expand due to the work of the association which has expanded its employee base.
Meanwhile, Pelletier anticipates that the prices for Haskap will be similar to last year. "As long as the growers can keep going on the financial side," he says, noting that labor costs are going up again this year. "We will have a small increase in pricing but we're trying to keep it as low as possible."
For more information:
Marc-Antoine Pelletier
Ferme Les Délices du Rapide S.E.N.C.
Tel: +1 (450) 501-0039
[email protected]
www.delicesdurapide.ca
https://haskap.ca/where-to-buy/
