Juan José Flores, in the International Blueberry Month:

“The consumption of blueberries in the world is up to us to take care of it all”

"From a niche product, the blueberry has quickly moved to the market, and the ceilings are very far away, so growth is not going to stop," said Federico Beltrán.

The opening day of the International Blueberry Month began with a detailed look at the current state of each Latin American industry, the challenges it has had to face and the perspectives and plans of each country in the current global context crossed by the pandemic, war and change climate.

The paradigm shifts in the markets and in the consumer, and the different logistical problems were the main challenges listed.

Betina Ernst, from Top Info, points out that "logistical problems cause delays in shipments, so it is very difficult to program in this situation."

loss of innocence

The expert assures that “the consumer has lost his innocence and no longer buys without planning, because he is more aware that purchasing power has decreased. Look a lot more at labels and prices.”

There is a greater demand for sustainability and resistance to plastic. The container is a priority to solve.

The expert maintains that in the future if something is not sustainable it will not be viable and will be destined to die.

"There is a theory that in the future success will be in the production that is more sustainable and not in the one with lower costs"

Production must be friendly to the environment and the rationalization of resources, such as water, energy and all natural, human and material resources, is rewarded.

It is fashionable

What is good about blueberry? Bettina wonders. It is fashionable! she answers herself.

"It's fashionable and that's a super good point, because it gives us a great advantage," he says, noting that blueberries are first of all liked. "Nobody consumes something they don't like," she says, explaining the growth in blueberry consumption, in a global context in which many fruits have decreased in demand.

Federico Beltrán, from Terra Business, explaining the Peruvian reality and its competitive advantages, places access to genetics as one of the important ones, assuring that there are currently 10 active genetic programs in Peru and several others arriving in the country.

The genetic

The specialist reports that 70% of Peruvian fields are established with modern varieties, which is a clear comparative advantage over their competitors, who only reach 30% on average. "In 2 years we will have 80% of protected varieties," he predicts.

There are currently 60 varieties planted in Peru and more than 10 regions of the country produce the crop, which covers more than half of the country, employing more than 300 people.

The organization of the offer, promoted mainly by Proarándanos, is another reason that Beltrán highlights as part of the competitive advantages of the Peruvian industry.

consumption

"One of the impacts of Covid is that blueberry consumption skyrocketed," he highlights and explains that blueberry cultivation has spread throughout the world. “There are 200 hectares planted in the world and this continues to grow. Everybody wants to plant blueberries,” he highlights.

"From a niche product, the blueberry has quickly moved to the market, and the ceilings are very far away, so growth is not going to stop," says the specialist.

Beltrán argues that this is a virtuous circle, because supply boosts demand, the greater availability of the fruit causes greater consumption, he says, although this moderates prices. “Blueberry consumption is becoming more democratic, it is no longer an elite fruit,” he maintains.

He comments that Peru is aiming for 20 hectares planted and 300 tons of fresh blueberries exported and for this its great challenge is to improve the infrastructure to face a "second wave of consumption."

take care of the fruit

For his part, Juan José Flores, director of Aneberries, focused on caring for the industry and the product.

“We must not lose sight of three issues, and I want to make it very clear as a message. The consumption of blueberries in the world, in which we are all trying to increase it, it is up to us to take care of it all. We have to conquer the consumer through good genetics, so that the delight is pleasant and with that motivates consumption and increases its consumption, or at least we maintain the consumers that we already have. Undoubtedly, we will all have to work for better sustainability and to take care of workers, these are two of the great challenges, but at the same time opportunities to have a greater presence in international markets”, he declared.

International campaign

He then made an extensive analysis of the Mexican berry and blueberry industry specifically, always emphasizing the care of the product, the behavior of the markets and the possibility of promoting consumption in the domestic market, due to the fact that Values ​​that the fruit can reach are very similar to those of the international market, with the advantage of requiring lower logistics costs.

Finally, Juan José Flores made a powerful call to the world industry to implement a campaign to promote the consumption of blueberries at an international level, highlighting not only the consumption characteristics of the fruit in terms of flavor, color, size or appearance, but also mainly highlighting again the beneficial qualities for human health of the blueberry.

The International Blueberry Month will continue every Tuesday and Thursday in August addressing the various issues related to cultivation, both commercial and agronomic or technical.

Source
Martin Carrillo O. - Blueberries Consulting

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