Chile: Bío Bío could export a less 4% of blueberries
A drop of an 4% in regional exports of fresh blueberries for the 2016-2017 season estimated the Committee of Blueberries of Chile.
In the 2015-2016 season, shipments from the Bío Bío Region totaled 29.421 tons, while for the 2016-2017 season, 28.240 tons were projected.
According to the projection, Bío Bío would lose the national leadership that had the previous season, being surpassed by the Maule, which would send a total of 31.650 tons in the current season, increasing by 18,7% its estimate with respect to the exported the previous season.
At the national level, meanwhile, it is expected to record an 3% growth, to total 94.276 tons.
The report, made by iQonsulting with the Blueberry Committee, also indicates that blueberry production at the national level will grow by 4,3%, going from generating 135.539 tons in the 2015 / 2016 season to 141.404 tons in the current campaign.
According to the report, this season has been developed with normal maximum temperatures, slightly higher than in 2015 and with a higher thermal accumulation, causing a harvest start two weeks earlier than in the previous season, which was especially delayed by the cold in spring.
In this line, Isabel Quiroz, executive director of iQonsulting, referred to the frosts registered in mid-September from the Valparaíso Region to the south. "The impact is not yet clear: however, the early varieties that were in fruit set would have been the most affected, mainly in the Maule Region and to a lesser extent the Metropolitan and O'Higgins".
On the other hand, Quiroz also highlighted the high stock of frozen blueberries that exists in the United States and its impact on prices. "The large stock could affect a drop in the price for frozen blueberries in Chile this season, discouraging producers from opting for this alternative in favor of the fresh market".
Surface in Ñuble
According to the 2016 Fruit Cadastre made by Ciren, in the Bío Bío Region there are 5.174 hectares of blueberry orchards-an 20,9% more than in 2012-, of which 3.429 are concentrated in the Province of Ñuble, that is, the 66,2 %.
Source: Ladiscusion.cl
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