Blueberries from Zimbabwe and Namibia are starting to slow, with South African supplies reaching higher levels after a slow start. According to Ryno Palm of South Africa and Hong Kong-based exporter Rooted Global Fruit Company, “Markets have started to change dramatically in the last two weeks, with Peru coming on the scene. There is no doubt that the long, cold winter has affected blueberry production in southern Africa. We started very late because of this.”

With more volumes of Peruvian blueberries landing in Europe and the UK, prices have started to fall much faster. “Currently, Peruvians are landing sea freight volumes in Europe, the UK and South East Asia. They are focusing more on Europe, especially in bulk. Prices have dropped by almost €3 per kilo in the last 10 days. Air freight to Europe and the UK is no longer an option for South African growers,” Palm says.

Blueberry season ends in Namibia and Zimbabwe

Palm says that northern Namibia (the Rundu area) still had very cold nights until early August and growers had to do everything possible to limit frost damage. “Helicopters were constantly on standby to get the small trees to harvest.” berries and the plants were not damaged.” Despite all attempts to limit the damage, the harvest ultimately left much to be desired. Namibia is not a big producer, but it has had a very low-volume year in proportion.

"There are basically four major blueberry farms in Namibia, two of which are in the Kavango district. One of them, which is already established, was only able to harvest for five or six weeks, so only 25% of what was planned was harvested. The other farm in the area is new and the young plants cannot compensate for this loss. In southern Namibia, the situation was also difficult, especially due to the weather conditions: too cold at the beginning and then too hot. The season is already coming to an end," Palm explains.

Zimbabwe produces its blueberries mainly within a 100km radius around the capital, Harare. “They are mainly engaged in air transport, except for the berries early April, May and June, which are mostly sold in South Africa. Supermarkets such as Woolworths buy many berries “We are getting good prices from Zimbabwe and paying good prices. Zimbabwe and northern Namibia are at roughly the same latitude, but Zimbabwe does not have a similar risk of cold damage in winter. Volumes from Zimbabwe are down about 20% from the initial estimate, and the season (which usually runs from April/May to September) is almost over, with only very limited volumes being harvested now,” Palm says.

South African blueberries available until Christmas

According to Palm, the South African season has also started slowly, “mainly due to the late cold weather. There is a clear differentiation between the production areas: those in the north and those in the south. In the north (Limpopo and surrounding areas), production is down by 15-20%. In the south (Southern Cape, Boland) they are on track, but they are also much later than in previous years,” he explains. “My impression is that they will be much closer to the estimated volumes. Good pollination and the good number of fruits indicate a good harvest. The size of the fruit seems somewhat better than in previous seasons and South Africa should have good volumes at least until Christmas, although the heat at the end of the year may shorten the season somewhat. However, there are volumes available for customers until the first week of January,” says Palm.

Markets are registering good demand

Palm says demand for blueberries is good worldwide. “Global production is stagnating and demand is on the rise.

“I think that in the medium term, blueberry sales should be good and that producers should be able to obtain good yields with the new genetics available, provided that an infrastructure has already been established. Starting from scratch with blueberries is very expensive and this is very likely the reason why we are seeing a stagnation in production.”

«The only important thing that everyone has to take into account is that the UK and Europe are still markets that can absorb volumes, whether from Peru or South Africa, so those with large volumes ship by sea to ensure continuity of supply to the retailers from these markets. Demand from the East/Asia is also still good. Prices are very stable and slightly higher than in the EU/UK. Air freight is still an option here, but pressure is increasing, especially for the berries 14mm caliber. The demand for large products (18mm) remains fairly constant and the price is also stable. The few berries The 22mm ones that are arriving are performing well and demand remains very strong," Palm concludes.