The 2014 China International Blueberry Conference, or Qingdao International Blueberry Festival, kicked off in the Huangdao District of Qingdao City on June 6. Blueberry specialists and entrepreneurs from around the globe attended the conference to discuss the industrial development trend and the opportunities and challenges facing Chinese blueberries.

Over the past few years, the blueberry industry in China has accelerated development and has become the second planting area in the world behind the United States. Andres Armstrong, the president of the International Blueberry Organization, expressed that the prosperous development of Chinese blueberries attracts global attention, making the industry full of opportunities.

Zhang Xinqi, the mayor of Qingdao, said that the economic vitality of the blueberry industry has become a new “business card” of the coastal city. The president of China’s Agricultural Product Market Association Zhang Yuxiang said the conference will play an important role in promoting agricultural industrialization, technology application and scientific achievement actualization.