Cranberry producers in the province again reported record harvests in 2008, continuing the trend of increasing yields year over year. This year�s harvest is 26 per cent higher than 2007.

"We know from research and our success to date that cranberry production can be a stand-alone commercial operation and we are well on our way towards that level of development," said the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency. "This year�s record harvest is further confirmation of the potential of this industry and it is another example of our efforts to diversify and develop innovative and sustainable industries in rural Newfoundland and Labrador."

Cranberries were established as a research and development project that tested the fruit�s suitability for commercial production in the province. The industry produced a record harvest of 172,365 kilograms of fruit this year, up from last year�s harvest of 136,077 kilograms. The harvest was worth $325,000 in farm gate value. Processing added another $300,000 to the value of the crop.

The majority of this year�s crop � 80 per cent � was purchased by Indian Bay Frozen Foods of Bonavista Bay. The company packaged and froze the product to sell mainly into the European market. Chatham Biotec Ltd. of Riverview, New Brunswick, purchased 15 per cent of the crop, while the remainder was sold locally.

"The industry has seen consistent growth since 2004 and operators are eager to expand their operations," said Minister Dunderdale. "The cranberry strategy developed in 2006 set a goal of having 600 to 800 acres of commercial bogs producing in 10 years. I believe we will surpass that in the next five years. We have several large corporations within the province and internationally that are engaged in securing land for cranberry development and this bodes well for future development and processing."

The Pilgrim variety continues to out-perform all other varieties of cranberries. In 2008, three out of the four Pilgrim fields harvested exceeded 200 barrels per acre, or 9,071 kilograms per acre. The Pilgrim field at Terra Nova produced 270 barrels per acre. This year, 10 new acres of the Pilgrim variety were planted. Thirty to 35 more acres have been prepared for planting in the spring of 2009.

The Provincial Government is committed to developing the cranberry industry. Budget 2008 invested $2.95 million in a Cranberry Industry Development Program to produce new plants for expanded acreage and to provide for site development and specialized equipment to assist in the continued commercialization of the industry.

Budget 2008 contained $11.2 million in new funding for the agriculture and agrifoods industry, bringing the total annual provincial investment to $32.8 million.

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