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Air cargo sector comes to aid out-of-season fruit growers

THERE are people who will pay more for out-of-season fruit, creating a speciality market and making Oregon the fifth state in the US producing crops like blueberries, which fetch top dollar in Europe, the Mideast, Southeast Asia and China.

Demand exists and people are willing to pay a premium for a clamshell of the large, flavourful berries that were harvested and flown within hours to locations around the world, reports the Lebanon Express.

Manager of marketing development with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Terry Fasel, said "there are a number of crops we grow either all of or a great preponderance of", and these include blueberries, marionberries, blackberries, black raspberries and hazelnuts, all of which are grown in the mid-Willamette Valley.

Linking Oregon's specialty crops to international markets is good for the economy, Mr Fasel said.

"In a nutshell, the more we can move offshore, the better margin we make, the more profitable our growers are and the more jobs and sales we create," he said.

Getting these goods to foreign markets just got a little easier, with the announcement earlier this month by Cathay Pacific Airways that it would offer direct air cargo service from Portland to Asia, a primary target of Oregon's specialty crops.

Cathay will begin twice-weekly flights between Portland, Hong Kong, Anchorage and Los Angeles. The company expects to transport tech, clothing, seafood and berries.

Lowering the cost of Oregon-made products and goods to consumers could lead to increased sales, Mr Fasel said.

Compared to berries that have travelled by boat for 21 days, the air cargo berries are much fresher.