Excerpt from CTV Atlantic: Haskap Farmers cash in on hot cash crop скачать в хорошем качестве

Excerpt from CTV Atlantic: Haskap Farmers cash in on hot cash crop

The health benefits of the Haskap berry have earned the fruit the ranking of a superfood. Growers of the healthy berry say it also has a big role to play in the health of the Maritime economy. The Haskap berry is part of the honeysuckle family. The varieties of Haskap berries that grow at a farm in Lower Northfield, N.S. are from as far away as Siberia and Japan. They first began working with the fruit by chance in 2010. “We needed an agroforestry crop to support our sustainable forestry,” says Logie Cassells, managing director of LaHave Forests. A google search for new superfoods led to the Haskap berry. “We found the varieties from University of Saskatchewan, we visited there, we found a local grower and we brought them back to Nova Scotia. The plants grew extremely well in our wonderful climate here,” says Cassells. There are several farms growing Haskap berries in the Maritimes. One such farm, Haskapa, employs 15 people at its three orchards. There is also a 200 acre investment orchard. “Basically we break up the 200 acres into 10 acre lots. Those lots then sell for $400,000. That is the investment required to buy one of those lots,” says Liam Tayler, commercial director of haskapa. The investor owns the land and the plants growing on it, and haskapa provides the expertise and labour. Haskap seedlings will produce about a 30 per cent yield after three years. Once they're five years old, each bush will produce eight pounds of berries per year “At which point you'd expect a return on your investment of about $200,000 a year,” says Tayler. There are 14 investors, from as far away as the United Kingdom and Bermuda. Interest in and demand for the berries is growing. Haskap berry products made in Nova Scotia by local companies are sold across Atlantic Canada at Sobeys and Pete’s Frootique. “I've just got an email from Costco, I've got an email from Fortinos, I've got one of the largest companies in the world that does fruit juice, they just contacted me this morning,” says Tayler. Cassells says healthy soil creates healthy food. “I believe very strongly that the biggest growth industry of the next 20, 30 years is agriculture,” says Cassells. “Five-thousand acres of Haskap is worth $500 million annually for Nova Scotia.” With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie