Canadian growers in dire straits
Maine, USA: Wyman’s CEO denies blueberry price fixing
Last week, the Northeastern New Brunswick Wild Blueberry Growers Association announced it had learned the federal Competition Bureau was investigating the blueberry industry in the Maritimes.
Between all of its operations, Jasper Wyman and Son employs 180 people, including 25 full-time employees at its plant in Prince Edward Island. Although the company is in the processing business, Jasper Wyman and Son also owns more than 10,000 acres of wild blueberry fields in New Brunswick, Maine, Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
However, at least one major wild blueberry producer told The Guardian he thinks there might be something to the allegations. The P.E.I. producer, who didn’t want to be identified, said producers were getting a mere 23 cents for their product last year. “Prices are so low, they’re below the cost of production. Producers are losing their farms.’’
The producer added that it doesn’t make any sense that Wyman’s has expanded and has millions of dollars in equipment and can sell a box of blueberries out of the plant for $2 a box but can’t afford to pay producers more than 23 cents. Furthermore he said that knowing growers in the US are getting a higher price weighs on his suspicions further.
