Within the conferences held in the XXXIV International Seminar of Blueberries ConsultingIn Lima, Peru, the “Quality and condition analysis of the last season of Peruvian blueberries and competing countries” was presented by the CEO of the company QIMA Produce, Ignacio Santibanez.
QIMA is a Chilean company dedicated to product inspections, audits, and testing throughout the entire supply chain. Using this experience, they analyzed the last blueberry season and the key players in the industry, with Peru clearly standing out.

PERU LEADS THE DISTRIBUTION OF BLUEBERRIES
Santibáñez began by showing figures on the distribution of inspected volume from each country of origin to each destination. He presented data from the United States, where Peru holds a 75.8% market share, followed by Chile with 17.1% and Mexico with 0.4%.
In Europe, the figures are also encouraging for Peru, which has 71%, compared to 27.9% in Chile and 0.6% in Argentina.
Statistics in Asia show a significant share of Peru with 85.9%, followed by Chile with 13.9%, and Argentina with 0.1%. However, when breaking down share in Asia by country, Peru leads in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, which together represent more than 95% of the Asian market. Meanwhile, Chile dominates in countries such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

TRANSIT TIMES
Transit times, calculated from the date of packing and inspection to the date of arrival, have slightly increased compared to the previous season. The transit time for Peruvian blueberries to the United States this season is estimated to average 27.4 days, compared to 24.2 last year. In the case of Europe, the transit time is 32.1 days, compared to 29.4 for the 2023-2024 season. Meanwhile, for Asia, the transit time is 44.4 days, compared to 44.6 last year.
In Chile's case, transit time to the United States is 34.5 days this season and 27.5 last season. Transit time to Europe is 41.3 days, an increase compared to last year's 39 days. Finally, for the Asian market, transit time is 41 days in 2024-2025 and 35.8 days for 2023-2024.

CONDITION AND TRANSIT TIMES
Regarding the relationship between transit time and the quality of Peruvian blueberries distributed in the United States, Santibáñez noted that the peak quality of the fruit is between 21 and 30 days. In Europe, it is between 31 and 40 days, while in Asia, it is between 41 and 50 days.

It should be noted that these figures are influenced by the variety of fruit exported to a particular destination, as each variety has different characteristics.

In this way, it was presented that Peru exports 67 varieties of blueberries to the United States, Chile 58, Mexico 45, and Argentina 38.

In Europe, Peru has 45 varieties, Chile 44, Morocco 25 and Argentina 16.

Finally, for Asia, Peru has 28 varieties and Chile 25.

CONCLUSIONS

Santibáñez presented the conclusions of the study carried out by his company, which include:

– Increased transit times compared to last season, except for Asia.

– Direct relationship between condition and transit times; the longer the time, the poorer the condition.

– USA and Europe: decreased presence of sensitive fruit but slight increase in findings of soft fruit, rot and mycelium.

– Asia: Soft fruit decreases compared to the previous season, but rot increases.

– Product homogeneity: The blueberry continues to stand out as it has from the beginning.

– End of commercial windows: Fruit quality and condition are more relevant than ever.

We look forward to seeing you at the next Blueberries Consulting events:

-XXXV International Seminar on Berries & Cherries, Chile April 10, 2025
-XXXVI International Berry Seminar, Guadalajara, Mexico, May 28 and 29
-XXXVII International Blueberry Seminar Trujillo, Peru July 9 and 10
-XXXVIII International Blueberry Seminar Tangier, Morocco September 10