In the first place, we must value the large number of attendees that took over all the conference rooms and commercial spaces, where more than 30 national and international companies promote their products linked to blueberry cultivation. All this despite the capacity restrictions due to sanitary conditions that had to be faced, which forced many interested parties to leave without being able to attend in person.

The event was initiated by Jorge Esquivel, director of Blueberries Consulting, organizers of the meeting, who highlighted the strengths of the Chilean industry to regain competitiveness. Then it was the turn of Iris Lobos, director of the INIA Agricultural Research Institute, who closed the words of welcome.

Support to the industry

The meeting began with great vigor and expectation due to the early participation of the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, Esteban Valenzuela, who, in addition to explaining in detail the plans of his portfolio for the agricultural sector in the immediate future, extended to internalize the reality of blueberry cultivation, of which he showed great knowledge. After his presentation, he received in audiences the different unions that had requested him to meet his demands. Clearly, the participation of Minister Esteban Valenzuela was a definitive endorsement of an industry that has made efforts to travel along the path of sustainability and responsibility towards the environment and that tries to be a pioneer in the application of clean technology throughout its process, and that has never left the hand of science and research for its development.

Complete Industry Analysis

Before, the specialist Isabel Quiroz, representing the Blueberry Committee, gave a very solid account of the results of the Chilean season and the projections of the blueberry industry within the framework of the global market, concluding with very specific guidelines for the Chilean industry, in the perspective of recovering competitiveness, a presentation that we will report extensively in a later publication.

Closing the inaugural block was the turn of the international consultant Manuel José Alcaíno, president of Decofrut, who also analyzed in detail and with abundant data the current state of the industry and the international market, the commercial projections of the crop, and the future paths where the industry should transit in order to recover competitiveness.

solid program

The XVIII International Blueberry Seminar in Monticello continued with a solid program, with highly relevant content for the producers and actors of the blueberry industry present at the event.

The next topic addressed the problems of arrival of Chilean fruit to international markets, demonstrating through the constant studies of QIMA, exposed by Ignacio Santibáñez, the evident differences in quality of arrival of Chilean fruit compared to foreign fruit to the different markets. international.

The industry meeting that takes place in Monticello is news in development, and the program is followed with great interest by the participants, approaching from various angles the quality of the fruit and everything related to post-harvest, the organic market, varietal replacement alternatives through grafting, nutritional aspects and several of the most relevant issues that concern the industry and its development.