Agronometrics in Charts: Peru's blueberry sector moves to new heights
Peru is considered the world's leading exporter of fresh blueberries, due in part to its vast tracts of arable land, its wide access to international markets, and its easy access to water through the recent redirection of aquifers for irrigation. Based on projections, the country's pre-eminence in the international blueberry market is projected to continue, with blueberries now ranking as its second-largest agricultural export after table grapes. According to him 2022 State of the IBO Industry Report, the country has experienced a 16-fold growth in blueberry exports in less than a decade, from 12,951 metric tons (MT) exported at the close of the 2015-16 campaign to an estimated 219,982MT exported in the recent 2021- 22. Peru sent blueberries to 31 countries around the world in the recent campaign, with the United States, Europe, China and the United Kingdom being the main destinations. The total blueberry production constituted about 55 percent of the total blueberry production in South America in the 2021/2022 season.. The most significant region in exports of this crop was La Libertad with a representation of 54,11%, followed by Lambayeque with a representation of 21,16% and Lima with 7,98% of the total.
For the 2022-2023 season, Daniel Bustamante, president of Pro-blueberries projects a 15% growth in the export volume of blueberries for the 2022-2023 campaign compared to the previous season, with shipments expected to reach 276.000 tons.
In the US market, between July and August, the supply of Peruvian blueberries was much higher than the previous season.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
The average price of Peruvian blueberries in the US market was higher year-over-year during the first seven weeks of the 2021/2022 season, while from late August to mid-January the fruit was selling weekly at prices higher than market averages relative to other sources of supply. This shows the consistency that Peru has come to symbolize as a supplier to the international market. Week 38 of the current season saw prices of $20,26 per pack, 32 percent lower than week 38 of the 2021/2022 season, mainly due to higher incoming volumes. As the season progresses, prices could be expected to drop further due to the expected influx of Peruvian blueberries.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometry users can view this chart with live updates here)
According to Proarándanos, Peru made its first shipments of blueberries to India in 2022, with exported volumes close to 23 T, and for this year it is expected to considerably increase exports to that destination. as well as to Malaysia. At the end of June of this year, the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation of Peru (MIDAGRI) announced the acquisition of the Israeli market for the export of blueberries. Other markets such as Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, New Zealand and Ecuador are currently in the process of opening.
According to Report on the global state of the blueberry industry, an optimal temperate climate (desert-arid-subtropical) that exists in almost the entire coastal region is essential to guarantee above-average quality and is crucial for early blueberry production. Additionally, the agile organization of phytosanitary control and the optimization of the supply chain have accelerated the growth of blueberry exports in Peru.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
The expansion of the blueberry industry in Peru has led to an increase in job creation. According to Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Proárandanos, the 2021-22 blueberry campaign in Peru created a record 120.000 direct jobs with 52 percent of the positions held by women. However, as discussed in State of the Industry Report, Labor availability is also a dilemma in Peru amid growing competition between crops, with many farms in isolated desert areas requiring transportation or lodging facilities.
In our 'In Charts' series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by doing click here.
All US domestic farm product prices represent the cash market at the point of shipment (ie, packing house/climate-controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, price data represents the spot market at the port of entry.
You can track the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool created to help the industry make sense of the massive amounts of data professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and graphics in this article helpful, please feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com , where you can easily access these same charts, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.
ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
