Peru has become an undisputed blueberry power worldwide. In just 10 years, it managed to be the largest Latin American producer of the berry and the first exporter of blueberries in the world.

The 2021 results, published by the Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) of Peru, confirm that this trend shows no signs of reversing. Despite the increase in the cost of supplies and maritime logistics problems with the unloading of cargo, Peru exceeded the export value of 2020, reaching 1000.4 million USD (FOB). This means an increase of 19.42% compared to the 873 million USD (FOB) obtained in 2020.

In this way, the berry becomes the sixth most exported product from Peru, preceded by copper, gold, zinc, lead and grapes. The latter are also the most exported non-traditional product in the country, followed by blueberries, avocados, mangoes and cotton.

The main market for Peruvian blueberries continues to be the US, where it is also the main supplier of this fruit. According to data from AgronometricsBetween mid-October 2021 and the first weeks of 2022, Peru shipped between 90%-80% of the daily imported blueberries to the United States.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics) [Agronometrics users can view this graph with real-time updates here]

A reflection of this strong commercial relationship is the fact that the largest export from Peru to the North American country is the blue berry, generating more than half of the total value of blueberry exports in 2021. In total, during the past year shipped blueberries to the United States worth 538.2 million USD (FOB).

The second largest market is the Netherlands where 176.2 million USD (FOB) were shipped during the previous year.

According to the export and import bulletin of INEI, in December 2021, 79.7 million USD (FOB) in blueberries were exported from Peru, increasing by 33.8% compared to the same period in 2020, when 59.6 million USD (FOB) were exported

If you want more information about the progress of the Peruvian blueberry industry and the challenges that lie ahead, attend the XIX International Blueberry Seminar Peru 2022. On March 9 and 10 we will meet at The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center to present new specific technical and commercial advances to improve the competitiveness of the Peruvian berry in the world.