FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
WSCGA: Tom Lochner (715) 459-2343
Efforts to grow international demand continue — Wisconsin DATCP reverse
trade mission Aug. 26-28 will bring Chinese food brokers to tour cranberry region
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – The Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association (WSCGA) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) projects Wisconsin will yield 5.4 million barrels of cranberries during the 2014 fall harvest – a decrease of 10 percent from the 2013 crop. WSCGA cites 2013’s record crop as a contributing factor in the decline, and says this year’s crop is more typical. While the crop total is down, this year’s harvest is still expected to result in a significant oversupply of cranberries prompting a continued focus on market expansion and potential USDA driven remedies.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP’s) International Trade Team is assisting the industry in helping to promote Wisconsin cranberries to Chinese food buyers who will tour the cranberry growing region Aug. 26-28. Through this reverse trade mission, the buyers, who represent Chinese food importers, distributors and retailers, will meet with Wisconsin cranberry sellers and tour Wisconsin cranberry marshes and processing facilities. The trade mission will also educate the buyers on the health benefits of cranberries and how to prepare them as meals and snacks.
“Despite the expected smaller crop, this follows a number of years where Wisconsin has had very successful crops, and as the supply coming from Canada continues to increase, grower returns are down again,” said Tom Lochner, executive director of WSCGA. “As an industry, increasing demand for cranberries remains a top priority and we are pleased to work with the state toward this goal.”
Lochner said that for the past several years the cranberry industry as a whole has been focused on increasing marketing efforts, especially overseas, to grow demand for cranberries. Over the last decade, cranberry exports from Wisconsin have increased from less than 10 percent to nearly 33 percent.
“Overseas markets for cranberries have been growing, but last year the growth was less than the industry was hoping,” Lochner said. “As the leader in the cranberry industry nationwide, Wisconsin is taking steps to increase demand among existing cranberry customers as well as create new markets.”
Further, a recent decision was made by the USDA to reject a request from the U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee to implement volume control measures to reduce the number of cranberries going into market from the 2014 crop. The volume control recommendation was intended to stabilize marketing conditions and improve grower returns.
“The USDA’s decision to reject the request for volume control only heightens the importance of our own efforts to grow demand,” said Lochner. “This is a challenging time for Wisconsin’s cranberry industry, however, we remain committed to producing a high-quality fruit and doing our best to reach both new and existing markets.
Cranberries are Wisconsin’s No. 1 fruit crop in both value and acreage. According to the Wisconsin DATCP, the industry provides approximately $300 million to Wisconsin’s economy each year and supports about 3,400 jobs.
Nationally, the CMC has been marketing cranberries in other countries since 1999, specifically focusing on Western Europe, Australia, Mexico, South Korea, and most recently to growing markets in Russia and mainland China and emerging markets in India and Brazil.
Wisconsin’s annual cranberry harvest will begin in late September or early October. Cranberries have been harvested in Wisconsin since the 1830s, even before Wisconsin was a state.
“Cranberries are an integral part of Wisconsin’s heritage, and at times like this when the market is down and supply is up, it is important for us to work together to ensure our industry thrives for years to come,” Lochner added.
NASS, which bases its crop estimates on grower surveys nationwide, also made crop projections for other top cranberry producing states. Those projections are: Massachusetts at 2.1 million barrels, New Jersey at 558,000 barrels, Oregon at 395,000 barrels and Washington at 162,000 barrels. The nationwide forecast is expected to be down 4 percent from 2013.
WSCGA was founded in 1887 and is committed to developing and implementing programs that will assist growers in doing a better job of growing cranberries and strengthening the public support for the industry in Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.wiscran.org, Like WSCGA on Facebook and Follow on Twitter.
For more information about the cranberry buyers mission or to participate in the event, contact DATCP’s Jennifer Lu at Jennifer.Lu@Wisconsin.gov or 608-224-5102 or Lisa Stout at Lisa.Stout@Wisconsin.gov or 608-224-5126. Media interested in covering the event should contact DATCP’s Ann Marie Ames at AnnMarie.Ames@Wisconsin.gov or 608-224-5041.
