Over the past year, the Quebec Seabuckthorn Growers' Association has had the opportunity to become better known and to be recognized as a serious lassociation-apaq devoted to the development of seabuckthorn cropping and to the establishment of this industry on solid and realistic bases.

The efforts made by the Quebec Seabuckthorn Growers' Association to put together an up to date internet site has given great results. Our members should, from now on, be better informed and feel more solidarity towards the administrative and the executive boards.

In addition, the interest demonstrated on the provincial, national and international level indicates that we are moving in the right direction and invites us to increase our reach even more.

Our research programs are going well and the results obtained, though still preliminary, are encouraging and allow us to identify other fields for potential development in processing and marketing of the fruits.

Even though some of the steps in our 2006 plan have not yet materialized, there is no need for worrying, they will be addressed soon. We are reliant on our programs and the next few months will be very busy for the administrative and the executive boards.

Welcome to new members who have joined us in 2006. Thanks to those who have left us for the time spent with us.

Thanks to all the members of the Quebec Seabuckthorn Growers' Association, without you seabuckthorn would have been an impossible dream. Only the unity between growers and the pursuit of a common goal will lead us towards the expected results.

Thanks to the members of the administrative and the executive boards who have guided and supported me throughout the past year.

Thanks to the SADC of Charlevoix for their unfailing support. I especially want to thank its chief executive officer M. Pascal Harvey, Mrs. Line Vandale and of course M. Danick Néron, our coordinator and the president's secretary.

Also, thanks to Mrs. Nicole for her sustained implication in the cause.

Thanks to Canada Economic Development for its flexibility in the carrying out of our programs and thanks to all of our researchers who are devoted to our cause.

Best regards.

André Nicole