The federal government plans to put up over $220,000 for development of three semi-cultivated lowbush blueberry farms and processing operations in Quebec’s Cote-Nord region.
The federal contribution of $221,964, flowing through the Community Economic Diversification program, will leverage total investments of $827,446, the government said in a release Tuesday.
Le bleuet des champs, a blueberry farm owned by Kathy Tremblay at Longue-Rive, across the St. Lawrence from Rimouski, will get $59,584 to launch secondary blueberry processing operations and add about another 50 acres of blueberry fields to the existing 178.
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Bleuetiere Denise Fortin at Pointe-aux-Outardes, about 30 km southwest of Baie-Comeau, will get $63,630 to prepare and fertilize land to start up a 150-acre blueberry farm.
Entreprises Bobby Laurencelle, of Bergeronnes, gets a $98,750 contribution toward start-up work for a 250-acre blueberry farm.
In all, the government said, the funded projects will lead to the creation of three new jobs in these communities.
“Small fruits production and processing is an emerging sector and it is one of Canada Economic Development’s (DEC) priorities for the Cote-Nord region,” Denis Lebel, the federal minister of state for DEC, said in a release Tuesday.
“In addition to supporting three regional enterprises, the agency’s funding of these blueberry farm projects is based on a long-term vision of development.”
Support for these farms is part of a regional small fruits enhancement strategy specific to the Cote-Nord region and aimed at building an industry based on the “secondary and tertiary processing” of the resource, the government said.
