Waiting for the arrival of Chilean blueberries

29/09/2015

“The global supply of blueberries is still a bit limited at this time of year,” says Nils Goldschmidt of Terra Exports. "The harvest in the United States and Canada has ended and we are in a transition period." South American countries are starting to enter production and, for the most part, focus on sourcing from the United States and Europe, who dictate the market price for blueberries. As a result of limited supply, prices are strong. On September 21, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) reported a price of $36 for a box of blueberries imported from Peru.

South Africa is growing as a producer of blueberries

Terra is currently sourcing from South Africa and Peru. “In South Africa, blueberry exports are a relatively new concept,” says Goldschmidt. The country realized that demand had increased worldwide and began planting blueberry bushes a few years ago. «This is the first year that they have strong production. The quality of South African blueberries is outstanding,” adds Goldschmidt.

Peru copies to Chile, but with better quality

Peru also has some good volumes available, but once Chile goes into production in a few weeks, volumes will increase. «In some aspects, Peru imitates Chile in terms of fruit production. However, Peru tends to have larger fruit, which some customers prefer,” says Goldschmidt.

Terra blueberries are primarily shipped to North America, the Middle East and Asia. The destination countries are Dubai, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan. “Asia offers many opportunities,” says Goldschmidt. North America is a smaller market for the company's blueberry program.

Source: Marcotradenews.com