British Columbia's fresh blueberries are hitting a major market as containers of the fruit are shipped to China for the first full season this year.

Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick visited Blueridge Produce in Langley on Sunday as workers packaged fresh blueberries for the journey to China.

"We have made a decision in British Columbia to welcome the world and to welcome the investment and the jobs they create,” Letnick said. “The B.C. government will continue to promote the growth and production of high-value, high-quality B.C. fruit, and help develop a stronger, more sustainable sector that results in our growers earning more dollars.”

Last summer, some fresh blueberries were sent to the country to test out the packing-and-shipping process.

The province will increase the amount of fresh blueberry shipments to China this season and B.C. blueberry growers could be looking at the potential of up to $65 million in exports a year, once the agreement is fully implemented. 

"The B.C. blueberry industry is excited about expanding international markets and especially this new opportunity to provide our healthy, sweet and quality fresh B.C. blueberries to China,” said Debbie Etsell of the BC Blueberry Council. “British Columbia is one of the few regions able to ship fresh blueberries to China and today our growers celebrate access to this valued Asian market."

British Columbia produces about 96 per cent of the country’s cultivated blueberries and much of the world’s. In 2015, B.C. farmers harvested about 70,000 tonnes of blueberries. Exports of B.C.'s blueberries accounted for $218 million, up more than almost 30 per cent from 2014.