China: Good production of blueberries; more competition

20/01/2016

China's national production of blueberries has skyrocketed in recent years. The history of the industry goes back to 1983, with the takeoff of large-scale production from 2000. A recent merger between the companies Golden Wing Mau and Joyvio has underlined the popularity of the fruit: Joyvio is one of the largest producers of blueberries in China and has plantations in Chile. It is estimated that the combined annual sales will reach 780 million dollars.

The first blueberry seeds were imported to China in 1983, from the USA. UU The commercial cultivation of blueberries in China took off in the year 2000. Between 2001 and 2007, the industry began to receive support from local governments and university research centers, which established large-scale production bases. Therefore, the surface of blueberries increased from 24 hectares to 1.414 hectares, reaching an estimated production of 390 tons. Between 2008 and 2015, the national production covered 31.200 hectares and an estimated total production of 43.250 tons.

The cultivation takes place mainly in the provinces of Shandong, Guizhou and Liaoning. Shandong is, with 6.000 hectares and 15.000 tons of annual production, the largest in terms of production. Recently, production in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan have taken off. Investments in solar greenhouses enable cultivation during the winter months. The greenhouse harvest period continues from the end of March to mid-May. The open field harvest takes place between June and August.

Competition and import
Competition has increased. Along with Joyvio, companies such as Jiangsu, Qingdao Blue Rose Fruit, Bai Rui Guizhou Agricultural Development and Noble Dalian Modern Agricultural Science and Technology have launched their own officially registered blueberry varieties and brands. Currently, there are more than a hundred brands in China, including local ones like “Dandong blueberries”.

Prices have resisted the blows in recent years. Compared to 2011, blueberry prices have dropped by more than 50% during the 2014-2015 season, with a decrease of 30% after last July. There is a separate market for high-end products: The 10% of the fruit is sold at prices 30-50% higher than the remaining 90%.

The importation of blueberries is increasing. Since the beginning of 2012, Chile has launched its blueberry exports to China. From 2011-2012, tons have reached China 200, a figure that has skyrocketed to 4.000 tons in the 2014-2015 season. In 2015, Canada has been able to supply the market from late September to October, which conveniently fills the gap of local production.

Source: Freshplaza.es