Governments put up $1.7M for blueberry sorting equipment

The federal and provincial governments are supporting the purchase of new sorting equipment for the Jasper Wyman and Son Canada Inc. blueberry plant in P.E.I.

Ottawa is providing $1.471 million in loans from two different programs.

• $971,000 from the AgriInovate Program.
• $500,000 from ACOA.

The provincial government is adding a $194,000 grant from Innovation PEI.

Wyman will use the funding to install new sorting equipment designed to efficiently and precisely sort produce, removing up to 99 per cent of defective berries.

"This investment will be used to fund state-of-the-art processing technology that will enhance our ability to meet ever-increasing global customer demands for exceptional quality," said Wyman CFO Robert Mancini.

Officials with the federal department of agriculture say the loan will allow the company to increase sales, reduce water and energy use and hire additionalstaff.

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