Indian brothers growing blueberries in Canada
The Purewal brothers moved to Canada in the 1970s; now, the three brothers own the biggest Indian-ow…The Purewal brothers moved to Canada in the 1970s; now, the three brothers own the biggest Indian-owned agriculture operation in Canada and possibly the US.
"Currently, we have over 800 acres under blueberry cultivation,'' says Gurjit Purewal, the youngest of the three brothers.
Their farms produce up to 20 million pounds of high-quality blueberries which they ship across Canada, the US and elsewhere, with each pound fetching about $2 in the market.
The North American Blueberry Council has honoured Purewal Farms as one of the best in North America and the Canadian supermarket chain Safeway, which is their biggest buyer, declared them as the Supplier of the Year in 2007.
"Besides our farming operations, we also have the biggest packaging plant in British Columbia and we can package up to 25 million pounds each year,'' says Gurjit.
"We employ up to 800 workers daily during our peak season. Off season, we reduce the number of daily workers to up to 100,'' Gurjit says.
The Purewal brothers also started their Canadian journey as daily wagers when they landed in Vancouver from Hakimpur village, near Banga, in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.
Going back in time, Gurjit says, "My elder brothers Malkit Singh and Charan Singh came here in 1970. They worked in foundries in Vancouver for years. I joined them in Canada in 1977. In 1979, we bought 55 acres in partnership with our two neighbours and started cultivating blueberries. But, in 1981, we decided to go on our own and set up Purewal Farms with 55 acres.''
As time went on, the three brothers kept buying more acres and getting bigger and bigger.
Have they ever thought of growing blueberries in Punjab?
''We would love to, but the hot climate of Punjab does not suit blueberry cultivation. But we want to do everything possible for Punjab and our people,'' he says.