El blueberry Peru is once again projecting growth, but the current challenge is no longer solely about volume. For producers and exporters, the priority is achieving fruit in good condition upon arrival, with sufficient shelf life and regularity to sustain programs at the destination.

After seasons strained by high temperatures and El Niño, this demand forces us to look at together two decisions that weigh heavily on the blueberry business today: what genetics to incorporate and how to manage it under a more variable climate.

That discussion will take place in the XLII International Blueberry Seminar Trujillo 2026, which will take place on July 8 and 9 at the Costa del Sol Wyndham Trujillo Golf Hotel, in northern Peru, an area closely linked to the production and export of blueberries.

In the program, this discussion will be structured around two spaces: the panel “Genetics, market demands and fruit quality” and the panel “Tools and strategies for mitigating the effects of the El Niño phenomenon”, in addition to Jessica Rodríguez's talk on climate change, condition and post-harvest life.

New varieties undergoing commercial and climatic validation

In northern Peru, new varieties are entering a more demanding validation stage. The attributes driving varietal renewal must hold up under heat, climatic pressure, tight growing windows, long journeys, and markets that demand consistency.

For producers and exporters, the decision requires projecting how each variety will respond in a specific area, how it will behave in the face of changes in the production curve, and what stability it will have when the fruit enters high-demand programs.

This tension will be the focus of the panel “Genetics, Market Demands, and Fruit Quality.” With the participation of Juan Miguel Nemi, Marcelo Luengo, Borys Chong, and Horacio Ozer Ami, the discussion will compare the varietal offerings with the demands that are currently shaping competitiveness: fruit quality and condition, market response, shelf life, and commercial consistency.

The panel will allow us to look at genetics from the perspective of its actual performance: agronomic adaptation, fruit condition, and market response under increasingly demanding conditions.

Climate management to sustain varietal performance

This varietal validation also depends on seasonal management. In Peru, recent seasons have shown that the climate, and especially El Niño, can alter production curves, increase disease pressure, and affect fruit condition, forcing adjustments to decisions before problems manifest as loss of firmness, reduced condition, disrupted production, or increased pressure from diseases and pests.

At this point, the panel “Tools and Strategies for Mitigating the Effects of El Niño” provides a perspective that completes the discussion on genetics. With the participation of Jorge Retamales, Juan Hirzel, Walter Apaza Tapia, Jorge Castillo, and Jessica Rodríguez, the panel will integrate physiology, phytohormones, nutrition, plant health, pests, and quality to analyze how to protect fruit performance during the season.

Juan Hirzel at the XXXVII International Blueberries Seminar Trujillo 2025 © Blueberries Consulting

Destination condition: where the strategy is validated

The condition at the destination ultimately reflects the results of many decisions made during the season: variety, climate management, nutrition, health, harvesting, and post-harvest handling. For producers and exporters, quality and condition depend on the ability to maintain firmness, shelf life, and consistency across destination programs.

That's the point covered in Jessica Rodríguez's talk, "Climate Change and Fruit Quality: Implications for Post-Harvest Condition and Life." Her presentation connects the season's climatic conditions with the final fruit result, where the market assesses whether a particular genetics and management practices were able to sustain that performance.

Jessica Rodríguez at the International Blueberries Seminar Chile 2022, © Blueberries Consulting

Decisions before the campaign

For producers and exporters, Trujillo's value will lie in contrasting criteria before making decisions that impact several seasons: what genetics to incorporate, how to manage them under climatic stress, and how to protect the fruit that will reach the commercial programs.

In Peru's recovery phase, growth will be as important as maintaining consistency. That will be the central discussion in Trujillo: growing with more consistent fruit, better prepared to meet market demands.

XXXVII International Blueberries Seminar Trujillo 2025 ☺Blueberries Consulting

Information about the seminar:

The XLII International Blueberries Trujillo Seminar 2026 will be held on July 8 and 9 at the Costa del Sol Wyndham Trujillo Golf Hotel.

You can get yours Tickets HERE    stands: contact@blueberriesconsulting.com WhatsApp +56 9 3469 3871

Check out the summary of the XXXVII International Blueberries Seminar Trujillo 2025 on our Blueberries TV Youtube channel  

Read also: 

Peruvian blueberries look to Trujillo to analyze climate, health, genetics and quality

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Trujillo hosted the most important event in the blueberry industry in Northern Peru.

Intense Technical Tour to the fields of Trujillo

Jessica Rodríguez: "There is little awareness of how valuable the times between harvest and cooling are"