In the coming decade, the geography of blueberry production is projected to spread much more around the world. The new growing regions will need increasingly special varieties, which will have to adapt to soils or climatic realities that are very different from the biographical trajectory of the blueberry as we know it until now.

Own market

The extension of the blueberry production map has recently prompted the plant genetics market to develop more research and science, with a view to advancing in the genetic improvement of plants and obtaining new varietal alternatives that help farmers. new producers that are integrated and the necessary varietal replacement of the old ones in the industry.

In addition, in the global pandemic crisis, the blueberry market has not stopped growing and is advancing in a permanent development trend that has been on the rise for more than a decade, which is why the market for genetics and varietal improvement of the Blueberry has grown in parallel, as has the blueberry market and even faster.

The effort to produce new varietal alternatives of the crop has not stopped increasing, so that the market for blueberry genetics for the industry already has its own rhythm, with an always new and very varied offer.

Challenges and responsibility

Cristian Pichuante, president of the Chilean Nursery Association (AGV), contextualizes the moment the industry is experiencing and the challenges that arise from it, underlining that in this context of multiple challenges, the responsibility is to continue improving production processes, and From this perspective, he relates that they have begun to work on an ambitious project that will allow them, in the short term, to deliver plants with a certified quality seal to the market, propagated under more friendly processes, both socially and environmentally.

Global platform

The president of AGV recognizes that the commitment of partner nurseries and the development of strategic alliances with other sectors has been very important in this work, and explains that to face the challenges of the plant genetics industry the objective is to become a "platform genetics for the world ”. Remember that in 2011 they exported plants worth USD11 million, and they ranked 44th worldwide.

"Today we can proudly show that our union managed to export over USD36 million in 2019, jumping to 24th place as an exporting country of top quality plants." According to the projections of the Chilean Nursery Association for 2021, Chile will be around USD50 million in exports of premium plants for the global industry.

Premium varieties

Carlos Gereda Cornejo, executive president of Inka's Berries, assures that they are pushing for Peru to have 6 months of quality fruit, “because our main problem with Biloxi, or with the other varieties, is that the fruit goes well until October, but already in November-December the fields are tired, with small, acidic fruit, it is not what the market is looking for. Then the varieties we offer are harvested in the designated months. We can cover 6 months of quality fruit without forcing anything ”, he says.

Inka's Berries company has placed more than 20 million seedlings on the market in the last decade and has a production capacity of 5 million per year, encompassing more than 35 advanced selections. Through the program breeding, Inka's Berries genetically directs advanced blueberry selections and launches new premium blueberry varieties with its own patents and unique in the world.

This issue, very gravitant for the agrofruticultural industry and for the blueberry industry specifically, is addressed at length in the new edition of the BlueMagazine, which will be launched on June 2 and 3 at the XX International Blueberry Seminar in Guadalajara, Mexico .

Download the free digital version of the magazine at https://www.revistabluemagazine.com/publicaciones/edicion-2021/