Argentina prepares for the 2020 blueberry season

With production zones implementing strict health and safety protocols and an industry working closer than ever towards common goals, the 2020 blueberry season begins in Argentina.

Argentina is one of the main players in the world market, exporting blueberries for more than 20 years. Its geographical location gives it the advantage of having counter-season cultivation, which means that it can be supplied in periods of low production in the countries of the northern hemisphere. That is why the main destinations are the United States, which represents 60% of total exports, followed by Continental Europe and the United Kingdom with 30%, and Canada and Asia, which together represent 10% of exports. shipments. In recent years, Argentine exports have stagnated at around 15.000 tons, which represents 10% of the total supply of blueberries in the commercial window from August to December 2019. That is why Argentina seeks to position itself in the world industry of blueberries as a niche actor. with comparative advantages and differentiation values.

The differentiation strategy is based on three pillars: taste, organic productions and social responsibility. For the fourth consecutive year, the Argentine blueberry sector carries out its promotional campaign "Taste the sweetness and enjoy the difference" to emphasize the sweet taste of Argentine fruit that, because it is produced in areas with "cold hours", has a distinctive flavor that they differentiate it from other providers. An additional factor is the growing trend of organic production, which this year will represent a third of the total volume produced.

Blueberry, responsible cultivation
In an increasingly competitive world in which decent work is often not valued and purchase is determined by cost, Argentina has national labor, social, and health and safety laws that are models worldwide. In 2015, Argentina adhered to the Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN, among which Goal Number 8 is to promote sustainable economic growth with decent work and the prohibition and eradication of child labor as one of the main factors to be met. In addition to complying with these International Guidelines and promoting a production based on a triple impact, the ABC is part of the Business Network against Child Labor and is governed by the National Plan for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor and Protection of Adolescent Labor.

The ABC has developed a social strategy based on concrete actions in the three productive zones of the country. “As a productive sector, we are increasingly committed to the social issues that surround our cultivation, especially in terms of preventing child labor and protecting adolescent labor. There are many myths surrounding this issue and we want to generate the necessary debates to banish them, ”emphasized Baya. "We have been working for two years on a project that involved the design of a protocol called Responsible Agricultural Production (PAR) that will allow us to focus on 3 aspects: prevention, monitoring and attention to child labor."

Larger ocean shipments to be more competitive
Given the lack of competitiveness faced by the Argentine blueberry industry due to an increasingly complex and more supplied global market, the sector has made the effort to change the logistics matrix to reduce costs. "We were used to a market that paid for air freight to receive the fruit faster, but today, with an increasing number of players constantly supplying the market, we need to focus on a different form of transport." This is a trend that has been taking place in recent years, where the rate of maritime shipments went from 2-3% in 2014 to 35% in 2019. In the midst of the pandemic, where there will be a lower frequency of commercial flights shipments, it projects that only 30% of the fruit will be exported by air freight.

Source
argblueberry.com

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