Over the past two months, there have been many difficulties with the supply of Peruvian blueberries and very small volumes have been sold at record prices. However, Theo Benjert and Rob Pakvis of the Dutch firm Berryland now expect a rebound in supply. “In November, at least three times as much volume is expected as in recent months. However, this increase will be short-lived, because in December the supply will fall again. Prices are expected to fall slightly, but we believe that they will remain above last year’s level.”

«Peruvian producers are facing several problems. For example, in certain regions, the effects of El Niño are still lingering. This does not affect everyone, but there are producers who have lost up to 60% of their harvest. However, the biggest problem this year has to do with pruning. Many producers pruned late because prices were high at the time, and they did not expect this to have any consequences, but then those plants have produced much less fruit. Whereas last year the total supply was 40% below the forecast, this year the volumes remain 60% below. Prices may be good, but they do not even come close to compensating for the low volumes.»

The situation on the raspberry market is not easy right now either. “We expect shortages this winter. Mexican producers have received significantly fewer plants than they had ordered, so practically all the fruit has already been sold in pre-sale. China and North America are fighting over Mexican fruit, and Russia, which usually buys a lot from Mexico, is turning to Morocco. This will make the season even more complicated, as Morocco has received fewer plants. The country started harvesting earlier, but as the retail "The market is still mainly offering Belgian and Dutch raspberries, and prices are under some pressure. However, I expect prices to shoot up as soon as supermarkets switch to imports. In any case, there won't be much fruit available during the winter months," says Rob.

The blackberry market is also facing a serious shortage. “There is very little Dutch and Belgian produce, but many promising new varieties are being introduced in Morocco for this winter. One example is the Indra, which is large and firm and has a very good flavour. Our growers also grow this variety in Tanzania, which we see as a promising market for soft fruits. We already had raspberry cultivation projects there, and now there are also blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. Although we are still working on a small scale, we have high expectations for this market,” conclude Theo and Rob.