Haskap Canada Association
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Members of Haskap Canada Association and their guests met at Saskatoon on January 12, 2008. Prior to the first annual general meeting, a report was given outlining the work of the association during the past year and a summary of some of the current issues relative to the fledgling Haskap industry in Canada. The interim board consisted of Bob Bors, Dave Negrych, Paul Mitchell, and Elwood Wenig. There are now 37 members from across Canada and North Dakota. The association has been registered as a non-profit Canadian corporation. A website has been established and is being updated regularly. Temporary promotional brochures and cards were produced. The association co-operated with Haskap days at the University in June, 2007 at which time it hosted an information/organizational meeting and solicited memberships. The board met with a delegation from Japan in September and hosted a dinner meeting with the group. As a result of a survey of propagators, Haskap plant production for 2008 is estimated to be between 100,000 and 150,000 of the new releases. Propagators report there are a limited supply of plants still available for the 2008 planting year. Orders are being accepted through 2010. Ideas of where the organization can be active for the coming year included the following:
Dr. Bors is going to continue the collection of wild honeysuckle specimens in Canada in 2008. Some of the genetics of wild Canadian varieties may add favorable characteristics to future releases of Haskap. An example of genetic effect is that Japanese varieties grow until frost whereas the Russian varieties stop growth in mid June. Genetics from Canadian cultivars may be more suitable for growth in our area. Pollination is an important issue for producers. Improper pollination would result in low production, and most likely smaller fruit. Dr. Bors suggested one-fifth of the plants should be pollinators strategically. The U of S breeding program is currently looking for compatible pollinators with good fruit quality, not prone to mildew, as well as being a heavy producer. Ideally such a pollinator would produce fruit so similar to the main plant so as to not need to be harvested and handled separately. After several meetings with Japanese delegations, and after they evaluated U of S Haskap, the Japanese have indicated liking the Canadian berries. Regarding propagation: Tundra (perhaps the best variety for mechanical harvesting and assembly line processing) is slower to propagate. 9-15 produces more fruit but also has more mildew. Borealis is a soft fruit and is therefore not recommended for larger commercial operations that use mechanical pickers. Borealis could be recommended for u-pick and smaller hand-pick growers. Other varieties may be better for niche markets. A question was asked regarding the possibility of a grower propagating his own plants. Mass propagation can be difficult, and growers are cautioned that varieties need to be kept pure to ensure buyers of fruit that their purchases from different growers will have the same characteristics. This would not be possible from plants grown from seeds, and royalties (that provide ongoing research and development funds) need to be submitted to the University. The University would not be against working with individual farmers who apply to propagate their own plants. The requirements for crop insurance for both production losses and natural disasters were discussed. It is imperative that accurate data be collected over the next few years. Haskap Canada Association will participate in a program supported by the SFGA to determine the nutritional value of Haskap, the results of which would be made available to members. Nutritional values need to be included on the label of any products offered for sale to the public. Although international markets such as to Japan are not guaranteed, the interest is high. The Japanese crop is rapidly sold (mostly as health food products) to only 5% of the population. This should leave lots of room for expansion of sales in Japan. Japan does not have the land base to increase production in Japan. There is a lot for any potential grower to learn about the production and marketing of Haskap. At this point in the development of the industry, Haskap production should be considered a high risk crop with huge potential. Even with export demand, the development of local markets is essential for success. Promotion has to exceed production to keep the price up. Paul Mitchell pointed out that the worst thing that could happen to this industry at this stage is for someone to plant 40 acres of Haskap and then fail due to lack of experience and failure to budget for the time and input requirements. The board recommends growers start small, learn the husbandry and marketing skills required for success, and then expand as they are able. Members of the interim board have had some discussions regarding growing Haskap as "certified organic". There are still a lot of questions, and growers interested in certified organic production need to contact their certifying agency to determine the requirements for their orchard. To sell as "organic" into the Japanese market, a grower would need to be certified under Japanese regulations, including regular proven training. Although they have not made a commitment, the delegations we talked to indicated they want "chemical free" berries, with no plastic mulch, no spray on the fruit and no use of residual, systemic chemicals. The group wants to continue to collaborate in gathering information together. |
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