The cultivation of blueberries quickly spread industrially throughout the world, becoming in a couple of decades a global consumer product, with a presence in the main markets and being produced on five continents.

Development has been so rapid, aided by technology, and the geographical expansion of the crop so wide that its industry is already classified as hyperglobalized, with a presence in all markets and at all levels of consumption.

A foreign fruit

Unlike wild blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) which are widespread in the Italian mountainous areas of the Apennines and the Alps, cultivated blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are not part of the Italian tradition, so they follow a path of inclusion in the buying habits of consumers.

In Italy, the production of cultivated blueberries began in the XNUMXs, while in Northern Europe the first professional productions date back to the XNUMXs in Poland.

Regions

Although the world calendar is full of new origins, in Italy there is also a process of diffusion of production that touches the main producing regions of the country in an arc of 1.500 km, in latitudes between 46 ° 40 'of the regions from the north (Piedmont, Trentino and Veneto), in the center of Italy (Tuscany and Lazio) and 36 ° 50´ from the southern regions (Sicily and Calabria, which are joined by Apulia and Basilicata). According to information from Italianberry, with different climates and different varieties, Italy can currently cover a blueberry harvesting calendar that runs from February to September.

Variety and handling

The main variety of blueberries produced in Italy is Duke, distributed in all regions of northern Italy. In these areas, a varietal diversification process is being carried out with the introduction of other later varieties, such as Blue Ribbon, Top Shelf, Draper, Cargo and Last Call. In the less cold climate areas of southern Italy, Ventura is by far the main cultivated variety.

The plants are mainly found on the surface, with the exception of Piedmont, where production is in soil thanks to the favorable conditions offered by acidic soil. Most plants in northern regions are covered: for protection (from SWD Drosophila suzukii which is a frequent and relevant problem and of atmospheric agents, in particular hail), while in the south greenhouses are used to anticipate the harvest.

L'Europa è dipinta di blu ...

In the period between 2016-2018, European blueberry consumption increased by 23%, reaching an average of 250gr per capita. Experts' projections recently indicated the expected global consumption of blueberries in the next 2 years at 10 million tons, and the consumption in the European area at 860g per inhabitant for 2026.

The last 12 months marked by the pandemic have not changed these estimates, on the contrary, blueberries continue to grow in double digits in the main European markets.

In Italy, the consumption of blueberries is estimated at 250g per capita and the consumption of small fruits has grown by 1% in 2020.

The state of blueberry cultivation in Italy, France and the European zone is one of the topics addressed in the 2021 edition of the Blue Magazine, which will be available to producers and members of the industry from the month of May, coinciding with the XVIII International Blueberry Seminar to be held in Chile, where the industry will meet again after this long separation as a result of the pandemic.