Despite the challenges after the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the horticultural labor shortage, Australia's berry industry body says there were no declines in volumes across the different commodities.

Berries Australia CEO Rachel Mackenzie says that compared to last year, for the quarter ending January 24, blackberries were up 70%, strawberries 13% and blueberries 12%, although raspberries were stable.

“Overall demand has been relatively steady, but we are getting some mixed signals from the market in recent weeks,” he said. “Consumer demand has been stable over the summer with a positive business environment after Christmas. While volume price dynamics remain in line with historical data.”

But Ms Mackenzie admits there are some challenges to advancing the industry, primarily due to Australian borders, which have been closed to international visitors for nearly a year since the pandemic struck.

“Next season looks challenging on all berries due to severe labor shortages,” he said. “The weather conditions have been good, but if there is no one to pick the fruit, it doesn't matter how good it is. We call on all levels of government to implement meaningful solutions to the jobs crisis being faced around the world."

Australia's diverse climate and new varieties mean the berries are grown year-round, and with the growth of the industry, private companies continue to invest heavily in breeding programs for all four berries. Ms Mackenzie says that many of these programs operate in North America and Europe with annual intakes of new varieties of the four berries that go into quarantine annually.

“Most variety development in blueberries and Rubus (raspberries, blackberries and other berries) occurs at the individual company level and plant breeders' rights have become increasingly important in recent years,” he said.

“Significant investment in varieties has meant that Australian consumers have access to some of the best blueberries and raspberries in the world. We are in the process of increasing our export capacity with industry investment as we know that consumers in Asian markets are desperate for their handy Australian berries. We need the Australian government to continue to support our efforts in this space to take advantage of our export opportunities."

He explained that the programs will only advance the varieties if the flavor meets or exceeds the comparators in the market, in addition to the required fruit size, yield, time, resistance to diseases and presentation of the crop by the producers.

“Three world-class private blueberry breeding programs operate in Australia,” he said.

These companies are not only making significant genetic gains in Australia, they are also boosting blueberry consumption globally through international production licenses and investments.

The strawberry industry has invested fundraising funds in variety development and has seen notable successes over the years, including the popular Red Rhapsody variety. There are some interesting new varieties that are coming through the breeding program, including a white strawberry.

Berries Australia says that the Rubus category is definitely the fastest growing category, but it is still the smallest category overall.

“Raspberries have experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, more than doubling in value in the last three years,” said Ms Mackenzie. “Blackberries are the new kid on the block with exponential growth in recent years, but you have to remember that they started with a very small base. If the worker shortage is not resolved, it is quite possible that strawberry production will be greatly reduced and blueberry production may also be affected.”

According to the recently released Horticulture Statistics Manual, for the year ending June 2020, the value of the berry category increased 11 percent from the prior year to $ 1.04 billion.

Blueberries increased 15 percent in value to $ 389,6 million, strawberries increased 11 percent in value to $ 435 million, and Rubus berries increased four percent in value to $ 216 million.