In the context of the 5th Agro Plant Ñuble International Convention, organized by the Asociación de Viveros de Chile, discussion panels were created after each thematic block, which addressed the cherry, blueberry and hazelnut industry European, in addition to the opportunities for the area, and in which exhibitors and specialists from each industry participated.

In this context, and collecting the questions from the chat, where dozens of people connected from the various Latin American countries participated, a very direct question arose that put a good topic in the discussion

• Peru has gained ground in the export of blueberries, what difference does your product have versus ours?

Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, responded first, noting that Peru has the capacity to produce slightly earlier than Chile. "In fact the great peak of Peruvian production has occurred prior to the Chilean season, although although its production is maintained throughout the Chilean season the peak of them is before us, "he clarified, so" they have the capacity to produce a higher volume earlier than Chile, "he added.

“I would say, from the point of view of the fruit, that they started later, with more modern, newer varieties. One could say that in general the Peruvian blueberry, in terms of size, is larger than the Chilean, but from the point of view of flavor I think that the Chilean has an advantage, Juan (Hirzel) could better explain what happens with the day and night temperatures and how this affects the balance of sweetness and acidity that the fruit has. I would say that one of the important advantages of the Chilean blueberry lies in its flavor ”, he concluded.

Juan Hirzel, researcher at INIA Quilamapu, also answered the question by commenting that “Indeed, when we talk about the production of blueberries in Peru, and we make a comparison to what we produce in Chile, in their case they work with evergreen varieties, which It is very different from the condition of our varieties, which have a temperate climate and require cold winter processes to produce certain differentiation processes that are later involved in fruit production ”, he commented.

But at the same time, the climatic conditions of Peru generate changes in the physiological behavior of the plant, which translates into a lower accumulation of sugars, and therefore, also in a lower production of these sugars, and a different balance in terms of relationship between organic acids and sugars.

Therefore, the organoleptic characteristics of the fruit produced in Peru are very different from the fruit produced in Chile, and that allows us to differentiate ourselves in terms of the quality of the fruit that we are offering to the market. They are products with a very different taste ”, concluded the INIA researcher.

The question, although simple, sparked a good conversation and explanations from the panelists, as happened in several other topics related, both with production, handling, or markets of the fruit and the current context caused by the crisis, both climatic, like a pandemic.

The event included exhibitions on the European cherry, blueberry and hazelnut industry, and on the challenges and prospects of the industry in general. Blueberries Consulting, in its work to support the development of the Chilean fruit industry, participated as a media partner in this 5th International Agro Plant Ñuble Convention.