The Board of Directors of Proarándanos, the body that leads the Peruvian blueberry industry, was renewed by consensus. In the presidency of the organization he remained Miguel Bentín, representing Family Farms Peru; The representative of Camposol, Álvaro Carrasco, remained in the vice presidency; Juan José Gal L. from Agrovisión Perú will be the new treasurer and Roberto Vargas, from Agrícola Santa Azul will be the secretary.

The members are Ximena Rossello, from Greenway; Gabriel Noboa, from Agrícola Don Ricardo; Daniel Bustamante, from Agrícola Cerro Prieto; José Antonio Castro, from the Drokasa Agricultural Society; and Francisco Vizquerra, from Hortifrut Perú.

The profile of a visionary

The great growth of the Peruvian blueberry industry was a surprise for the entire industry. Not even the most optimistic thought at the time that they would reach the successful numbers they have today...except Miguel Bentín.

In 2016 we spoke with the current president of Proarándanos about the reality and projections of the Peruvian industry. He told us on the occasion that the blueberry industry in Peru was having a very promising development and that, regardless of the growth in volumes, the consolidation of the know-how itself was on the right path and progressing very well.

His vision was that Peru would enter a very strong and consolidated global industry, half mature and half in constant growth, which facilitated the incorporation of knowledge to the young national initiative.

From 2800 to 300 thousand tons

Miguel Bentín highlighted that previous experiences, at the agro-export level, meant that the Peruvian blueberry industry was born organized and with a specific focus on the priorities that must be addressed from the beginning, such as access to markets, the generation of collaborative technical environments. , among other aspects.

In that conversation he shared with us that the volume of blueberries for the 2015/2016 campaign had been 10400 tons, which was equivalent to an increase of 270% compared to 2800 in 2014. “This exponential growth is likely to be maintained for at least five more years,” he said in 2016.

Comparative advantages

Asked about the comparative advantages of the Peruvian industry, Miguel Bentín highlighted the fact that Peruvian producers can produce blueberries during almost all months of the year, which would allow them to have a permanent supply, and the flexibility to focus production more efficiently. and competitive.

“It is possible that over time it will be possible to segment agricultural management to orient production towards specific times distributed throughout the year,” he predicted, adding: “Another advantage that has been proven with experience is that the post-harvest life of the blueberry produced in Peru is consistent and long. Maritime shipments have a minimal incidence of arrival problems,” said the Peruvian producer.

On the occasion we asked him about future prospects:

“The outlook as an industry is very optimistic. “We believe that it will not take long for Peru to become a very relevant player in blueberries in the world.” he assured convincingly.

Problueberries 2024

Today, after almost a decade and heading an industry that leads blueberry exports in the world, with an approximate volume of 300 thousand tons, which exceeds the 100 in 2800 by more than 2014 times, we ask him about his new role in the industry and its projections.

He tells us that he will ensure that Proarándanos maintains continuity in the provision of information, focused on continuous improvement of its quality, depth and opportunity for associates, the sector, markets and other industry actors. Maintain efforts aimed at facilitating access/improved access to new markets. Represent the local industry internationally, both at trade fairs, before peer organizations from other countries or global and others stakeholders institutional.

In the same perspective of the objectives and projections, it will seek to promote and participate in integrated and joint actions, aimed at the general promotion of blueberries in the world for the benefit of the global industry and “facilitate the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience between associates so that collaboration between peers benefits us as an industry”, it ends.