Guodong Liu, Jeffrey Williamson, Gary England, and Alicia Whidden
Florida's commercial blueberry industry has increased significantly in both acreage and value, expanding from approximately 1,000 acres in 1993 to more than 5,500 acres in 2015 (USDA-NASS, 2017), and from $39 million in 2007 to $82 million in 2015 (USDA-NASS, 2016). Per capita consumption of blueberries has increased by 400% during the last decade (Braswell 2010). Florida produced approximately 25.3 million pounds of fresh blueberries in the 2015 season. However, Florida only contributed 4.4% of total US fresh blueberry production, which was more than 565.5 million pounds (USDA-NASS 2017). The value of blueberries destined for processing has also increased. The total US value of processed blueberries grew from $62.3 million in 2009 to $136.0 million in 2010 (USDA-NASS 2011).
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