The world’s largest variety of blueberry will soon be grown and sold in New Zealand.
Described as “up to the size of a ping-pong ball”, the blueberries are being planted in the Kerikeri and Waikato regions.
The Fresh Berry Company, which grows and markets berries, said it had partnered with international berry producer Driscoll’s.
General manager Simon Tallon said one of the monster Eterna variety berries, that was grown in Australia, is offically the largest blueberry in the world.
Tallon described the Eterna berry that made it into the Guiness Book of World Records as a good large blueberry that weighed 20.4 grams.
He said the imported blueberry stock was tested for pests and diseases by the Ministry for Primary Industries before being released to growers.
“Those then get taken through to tissue culture and our commercial nurseries where we grow them into commercial plants for our farms and external growers. The big push is always how do you get better berries, firmer berries, better shelf life and ultimately they have to be good tasting fruit.”
Simon Tallon expected a limited number of the monster-sized blueberies to be on some supermarket shelves later next year.
Meanwhile, he said The Fresh Berry Company was also starting its first berry farm in the South Island next year, in Nelson.
“All of our production is covered — in plastic tunnel houses apart from some of the blueberries that are exported.”
Tallon said there was likely to be a bumper crop of strawberries leading up to Christmas from its growers and farms in Hawke’s Bay, Waikato and Northland.
“We are expecting to have a pretty good volume this year so consumers can enjoy strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.”
He said $120 million of berries were sold in the country last year.
rnz.co.nz
