Page 11 - aruba-today-20200921

A11
BUSINESS Monday 21 SepteMber 2020
Maine blueberry industry reels from drought, frost, virus

By PATRICK WHITTLE definitely be part of the
Associated Press game plan."
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine competes with Can-
late spring frost, a devas- ada in the wild blueberry
tating drought and labor market, and some compa-
troubles wrought by the nies operate on both sides
coronavirus pandemic of the border. The uneven
conspired to make 2020 exchange rate with Cana-
a difficult year for the wild da has caused economic
blueberry producers who problems for Maine's in-
harvest the fruit in the na- dustry in recent years. Still,
tion's northeastern corner. prices to farmers have re-
America's producers of bounded in recent seasons
wild blueberries are largely after down years in 2016
located in Maine, where and 2017.
the blueberry industry has This year, some blueberry
battled fungal plant dis- workers tested positive for
eases and erratic market coronavirus, and compa-
conditions in recent years. nies responded by keeping
The harvest takes place them in quarantine. Work-
every summer, and this ers were tested before they
year's crop was likely far began work to prevent po-
off last year's total of about tential outbreaks.
87 million pounds, industry In this July 27, 2012 file photo, wild blueberries await harvesting in Warren, Maine. It was a frustrating year in
experts said. One of the Associated Press the fields, but the indus-
biggest problems was the try was able to prevent
drought, which afflicted prise frost in early June, and the ubiquitous cultivated point to a crop that could spreading coronavirus to
much of northern New Eng- it added up to "most defi- blueberries in that they are be half of expectations this surrounding communities in
land throughout the sum- nitely a challenging sea- smaller and occur naturally year, according to the Wild Washington County, where
mer. The rural Maine coun- son," said Lily Calderwood. in fields called blueberry Blueberry Commission of many fields are located,
ties that contain most of a wild blueberry specialist barrens. Maine's blueberry Maine. However, demand said Homer Woodward,
the country's wild blueberry at University of Maine Co- industry has touted the wild for the fruit has increased vice president of opera-
fields are even now facing operative Extension. blueberries as a potential recently, and the industry tions for Wyman's, one of
moderate drought condi- "It was uniquely challeng- piece of the "superfood" has the ability to bounce the major players in the in-
tions, according to the U.S. ing, but we have had late movement in recent years. back from the tough year, dustry. "The size of the crop
Drought Monitor. frosts in the past and we Most of the crop is frozen, said Eric Venturini, the ex- was disappointing but as
The pandemic also made have had drought in the though some are sold in ecutive director of the far as navigating COVID, as
it more difficult to hire sea- past," she said. "The growers Maine farm stands and su- blueberry commission. far as preventing it from be-
sonal workers and created are a very resilient group of permarkets every August. "Despite the down year in coming a problem in Wash-
a need for additional safety farmers who grow a very di- The five-year average for terms of production, de- ington County, I think that
measures that complicat- verse crop." the size of the crop is nearly mand is high," he said. "I was a success for the indus-
ed the harvest. Add a sur- Wild blueberries differ from 84 million pounds, but signs think leveraging that will try," Woodward said.q

Judge agrees to delay U.S. government restrictions on WeChat

By STAN CHOE ness contacts in China. It's ment. On Saturday, Presi-
AP Business Writer owned by Chinese tech gi- dent Donald Trump said
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge ant Tencent. he supported a proposed
has approved a request The group of WeChat us- deal that would have Tik-
from a group of U.S. We- ers requested an injunction Tok partner with Oracle
Chat users to delay loom- after the U.S. Commerce and WalMart to form a U.S.
ing federal government Department said Friday it company. There is still a
restrictions that could ef- would bar WeChat from chance that TikTok could
fectively make the popular U.S. app stores and keep be banned in the U.S. as
app nearly impossible to it from accessing essen- of Nov. 12 if the deal isn't
use. tial internet services in the completed, under the re-
In a ruling dated Saturday, country beginning Sunday strictions put in place by the
Magistrate Judge Laurel at 11:59 p.m. Commerce Department.
Beeler in California said The Trump administration However, a restriction to
the government's actions has targeted WeChat and bar TikTok from app stores in
would affect users' First another Chinese-owned the U.S., similar to what We- A federal judge has approved a request from a group of WeChat
Amendment rights, as an app, TikTok, for national Chat faced, was pushed users to delay looming U.S. government restrictions that could
effective ban on the app security and data privacy back a week to Sept. 27 af- effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use.
would remove their plat- concerns, in the latest flash- ter Trump backed the latest Associated Press
form for communication. point amid rising tensions TikTok deal. would end up in the posses- ty," and that an injunction
WeChat is a messaging- between Washington and On Sunday, Secretary of sion of the Chinese govern- would be in the public's in-
focused app popular with Beijing. The administration State Mike Pompeo told ment. In her ruling, Beeler terest. Furthermore, specif-
many Chinese-speaking contends that the data of Fox News that the govern- found that a WeChat ban ic evidence about WeChat
Americans that serves as U.S. users collected by the ment will ensure that under "eliminates all meaningful posing a national security
a lifeline to friends, fam- two apps could be shared the TikTok-Oracle-WalMart access to communication threat was also "modest,"
ily, customers and busi- with the Chinese govern- deal, no American's data in the plaintiffs' communi- she wrote. q