The Chinese import volume of blueberries has grown rapidly in recent years. In addition, a growing number of international companies have invested in Chinese blueberry planters. This puts enormous pressure on the blueberry market. Manager Li of Yantai City Jialin Family Farm recently spoke about the current conditions in the Chinese blueberry industry and discussed both the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese blueberry varieties.

Yunnan is the most suitable blueberry production area in China. The province has a wide variety of elevations, from Hekou at 76,4 meters above sea level to Jianshui and Xishuangbanna between 300-800, to Kunming at 1.600 and Dali at 2.000, to Lijiang at 2.400 meters above sea level.

The variety in height creates a series of microclimates that are extremely suitable for planting different varieties of blueberries. Local farmers take advantage of these conditions to produce a wide variety of blueberries and rabbit eye blueberries. Two production areas in particular stand out for the exceptional quality of their blueberries: Honghe and Xishuangbanna. These production areas are located on the border between a subtropical monsoon climate and a tropical forest climate. The diverse climate in Yunnan allows the region's blueberries to ripen at different times, so the harvest is staggered, and not all blueberries enter the market at the same time, but instead occur in an extended supply season.

The fresh blueberry supply season begins in October and continues through May of the following year. Blueberries gradually enter the market in September and October and their volume grows in October, November and December. The peak period of the blueberry season takes place in February and March, with the season gradually ending in April and May. In addition to these advantages, Yunnan also has excellent climatic conditions and a slightly acidic red soil that is excellent for the growth of blueberries. In addition, the high volume of UV light and the large temperature difference during the day and night contribute to the excellent product quality of Yunnan blueberries.

“Hydroponic blueberry production became quite popular in 2019. The investment in this type of plantation is high and the production season is short, but the production volume is huge and the efficiency is also high. This is an investor's dream. The investment cost in Yunnan is around 100.000 yuan [15.250 USD] per 0,07 hectare for hydroponic blueberry plantations, while the investment for hydroponic plantations in the north is around 200.000-300.000 yuan [30.500-45.750 USD] for 0,07 hectare.

“There is a clear advantage to investing in Yunnan's blueberry plantations. The first investment firm to enter the blueberry industry in Yunnan was Driscoll's in 2014. After its successful performance, more investors saw the potential in Yunnan's blueberry plantations and quickly followed. ” This is according to manager Li.

Although the Chinese import volume of blueberries is growing rapidly every year, the number of greenhouse blueberry companies in Yunnan is growing just as quickly. National companies have a huge advantage in terms of area devoted to blueberry plantations and total production volume. There is huge market potential in the blueberry industry.

The World Blueberry Summit in 2017 concluded a survey, the results of which suggest that China will be the largest producer of blueberries in 2026. The total production volume is expected to exceed one million tons. Other areas of production have no way to compete with that number. However, there are some problems in the Chinese blueberry industry that affect future developments.

According to manager Li: “First, there are some blind spots in the domestic industry. For example, a large number of companies learned about the added value of blueberries and quickly went to market, but do not invest in planting technology. Blueberries require beneficial microorganisms in the soil to improve the quality of the berry product. While a large number of companies spent huge amounts of money on marketing strategies, only a small number of companies invested in soil quality. That is why many companies have low production volumes and even lower product quality.

“Some foreign companies have invested in Chinese blueberry plantations, and they usually spend their money on innovative planting technology and improving soil quality. They have set a new benchmark for the Chinese blueberry industry and some of the boldest Chinese companies were quick to follow this investment strategy. .

“Secondly, the number of national blueberry varieties is quite limited. There are a few varieties that dominate the market and they all taste more or less the same. Therefore, the consumer experience is pretty boring. Third, many consumers prefer imported fruit. gradually reduces the price of Chinese blueberries. At the moment, Chinese blueberries cannot attract the attention of domestic consumers."

Manager Li also talked about the sales conditions in the Chinese blueberry market. “The import volume of foreign brand blueberries is relatively large in the period between October and April. The volume of production of national blueberries is initially quite small and they are fresher, so their price is higher than that of imported blueberries. This is the case for blueberries from plantations in Yunnan and Sichuan, greenhouses in Dalian, and greenhouse plantations in Shandong and Lianyungang.

“The price of imported Grandezza brand blueberries is around 14,8 yuan [2,26 USD] per 125 grams, or 118,4 yuan [18,06 USD] per kg. Meanwhile, domestic blueberries cost around 160 yuan [USD 24,40] per kg, and Yunnan prize blueberries cost as much as 240 yuan [USD 36,60] per kg,” manager Li said.

“The wholesale price of first grade Peruvian blueberries in the Yantai wholesale market is around 100 yuan [USD 15,25] per kg, and the wholesale prices of first grade and second grade Peruvian blueberries are of 80 yuan [12,20 USD] per kg and 70 yuan [10,68 USD] per kg respectively. Their retail prices are 160 yuan [24,40 USD] per kg, 120 yuan [18,30 USD] per kg, and 100 yuan [15,25 USD] per kg respectively. In Shanghai the prices are slightly lower, around 10-20 yuan [1,53-3,05 USD] per kg less than in Yantai.

“The total area devoted to blueberry planting in China exceeded 53.000 hectares in 2019, and the total production volume reached around 210.000 tons. In 2020, the total area reached 67.000 hectares and the production volume is estimated at 250.000 tons. The domestic market demand is around 1 million tons. The actual acreage currently producing fruit is only around 27.000 hectares, producing around 250.000 tons of blueberries. The market potential is obviously huge."

Manager Li also explained that improvements in planting technology and diversification of blueberry varieties are key to the development of China's blueberry industry. “We hope to spread this soil quality awareness to more Chinese farmers and help them plant and produce blueberries more effectively on acreage that is already in use. On the other hand, we also hope to cooperate with foreign companies to introduce more, quality blueberry varieties to the Chinese blueberry industry. In this way, together we can improve the Chinese blueberry industry."