About 154.050 tons of cargo of blueberries are expected to be exported for the 2020 -2021 season, informed the executive director of Arándanos de Chile-Asoex, Andrés Armstrong, projecting that 111.551 tons will correspond to fresh blueberries, with a slight increase of 2%. while frozen fruit would add 42.500 tons, rising 1,2%.

According to Armstrong, "for the new season export volumes of fresh blueberries will be maintained very similar to those of the last three seasons", which responds to the implementation of the Quality System of the Blueberry Committee, which considers the correct selection of varieties, the proper handling of pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest of the fruit and, finally, the verification of the finished product.

In turn, the director and founder of iQonsulting, Isabel Quiroz, stated that the survey carried out by her company revealed that "the Chilean blueberry industry is not growing anymore and this is because both the exporters and the producers are focused on exporting quality ”. Added to this, Quiroz explained that the latest rains in the country, especially in regions V, VI and VII (central Chile) "augur a better season in terms of fruit filling, productivity."

Covid-19

Regarding the coronavirus (Covid-19), Andrés Armstrong pointed out that "although it is a challenge, we are sure (...) to maintain a consistent supply to our markets." In addition, he stated that "blueberries fit very well with the new requirements of consumers, since they help improve the immune system and strengthen health."

Despite the fact that the coronavirus affected the fruit that was in China last season, Isabel Quiroz revealed that "blueberries had positive results in other destination markets (...) because it is a fruit recognized for its contributions to people's health , which leads to having very good expectations for the new season”.

System Approach

According to Armstrong, at the end of September the final version of the "System Approach" will be published on the Simfruit website, a new mechanism that will simplify the process of exporting to the United States, bringing new opportunities for organic blueberry growers in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío”.