Rise of Moroccan blueberries draws the attention of the sector
Cranberries are causing a furor in Morocco, where producers are aggressively planting it. But to get away from falling prices, they will need to avoid a heavy harvest between April and June.
The North African country is the last member of the International Blueberry Organization (IBO), which will hold its annual summit in Coffs Harbor, Australia, from the 7 to the 9 in September.
Moroccan producers have noticed the lucrative potential of blueberries in Europe, however, they will have to avoid saturating the market to obtain good prices.
Two members of the Moroccan IBO delegation see great promise in the potential of the industry, but warned of the implications of planting too many varieties with concentrated harvests between April and June.
"Morocco is a country where the blueberry plantation is growing, but what is problematic is that it is also increasing a lot in Spain and production is concentrated from mid-April to the end of May"Said the president of SAT Royal José Gandia, whose company cultivates the fruit in both countries.
"In this period there is a peak and we are a little worried about whether the market will respond to these large increases in the area planted"He commented.
"The question is to find the balance between the increase in consumption and not having excessive plantations"He added.
The president of African Blue, Avi Weizman, echoed Gandia's comments, emphasizing that the Moroccan blueberry sector is gaining strength.
"Some people are planting aggressively and with varieties that are not making any difference in the market; The only difference that these varieties could make is that they continue to reduce prices in the market when Spain has large volumes"Said Weizman.
"Actually many of the people who are planting do not have the right materials to do it, but that is how they are acting as a result of what they have heard and what is happening in our area"He commented.
African Blue uses varieties from the Australian Costa Group, which owns the 49% of the company; the rest belongs to Weizman, while the Irish Total Produce has a share of 10%.
"We have access to these varieties and we have a subsidiary planting them. This is different because we are starting very early and we are having a good part of the market at the beginning"He said.
"We have varieties that this year we started harvesting in January and we had a great harvest in March and April", He explained.
The executive said that African Blue has around 300 hectares of blueberries planted in Morocco of which 200 hectares are in production. He also believes that the country's total volume of blueberries will double in the next two to three years.
Effects of the Russian embargo
Gandia said the Russian embargo on fruit grown in the European Union is worrying for European summer production that runs from late June to September.
"Russia was a budding market for blueberry cultivation and was essentially supplied by Polish blueberry producers who had a massive presence there"He said.
"For Russian consumption, Poland offered the fruit at prices that were very reasonable and in adequate quantities", He explained.
"The fact that this possibility of export from the countries of Eastern Europe to Russia no longer exists, will hinder the cultivation of blueberries in Russia, which will greatly reduce consumption"He added.
On the positive side, while countries such as Poland and Spain can no longer send their blueberries to Russia, Morocco can.
"Morocco can also export to other countries outside the European Union community, such as Turkey, and in general the consumption rate in Europe is increasing"Gandia pointed out.
Best offer thanks to collaboration
Gandia said that the IBO offers an attractive forum to learn about the status of blueberry plantations and trade around the world, as well as strengthen ties with foreign producers.
"As we are positioned in European supermarkets, in the September season until mid-January - when we do not have our own production - we collaborate with Chile, Argentina, and more recently with Peru, which are increasingly producing. We can not cover the season without them"He said.
"Everything that orders the offer and encourages knowledge of supply and demand is important. We are oriented towards the European market, but the European market is affected in that period by the Southern Hemisphere"He added.
And he added that "I do not know the Australian industry very well in terms of production of its season. I did not know that Australia was producing blueberries all year round either".
Facts & figures
The IBO event will take place at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, Australia, from the 7 to the 9 in September. For more information contact Jayne Hindle, Amy McIntosh or Jasmine Durbidge.
Source: Fruit Portal
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