Peru: Organic blueberries, next export alternative

05/04/2016

"When you see growth of that magnitude, it's because, really, there's a lot of potential. Blueberries have become one of the fruits that currently presents the best commercial opportunities, without forgetting the attractive prices offered, which places them as an excellent export product. The growing demand, the productive seasonality and the qualities of the product have allowed this positioning ", says Guillermo Parodi, technical manager of the company Vison's SAC.

Peruvian blueberry production has grown substantially in recent years. Although the first tests of exports of this fruit began in the 2008, it was from the 2012 when the commercialization had an unexpected impulse. Exceeding the 97 millions of dollars in the 2015, the forecast for this year is that these figures could be tripled.

Peru has a constant productive capacity, being able to produce the 12 months and, therefore, has a constant supply throughout the year. "For commercial convenience, the main production of blueberries is concentrated from the beginning of September to March. Peru offers the fruit when the northern hemisphere does not produce it, but it does need it, and thus it supplies this high demand market just at the moment when the world supply is smaller ", explains the representative of the Peruvian company.

"We entered a season in which there are practically few countries that produce it and there is a lot of demand in the United States and Europe. The 50% of the blueberries are destined to the first and the 30%, to the second; The difference is divided between Asia and Central America. Other countries like Chile start the harvest in November, when we are already halfway there. Perhaps the only Latin American country that could be an important competitor is Mexico, because it can produce almost at the same moments and is beginning to take more and more market, especially the United States ", Parodi continues.

The variety of blueberries that Peru exports the most is Biloxi, since it provides ease in postharvest handling and has the right values of diameters for the blueberry target market in this period. "Although Biloxi is a bit more acidic, this is offset by the storage and marketing opportunity it offers. In particular, I think it is a variety that is quite adapted to export for our reality, and even today it is a variety accepted by the European and North American markets. In the short term, I do not think it will change the variety, we would have to do many tests first ".

Although China is a very important country for the export of the vast majority of Peruvian products, blueberries are not yet positioned in the Asian country, but, along with the development of organic blueberries, is within the expansion plan of marketing for this year. "China is a market in the process of growth, which is why we are promoting the positioning of our blueberries in this market. Organic blueberries are the next alternative we are working on, we are in full organization to obtain the necessary certifications that allow us to enter the organic trade of this fruit by refining our processes to improve production and the export process ", ends the spokesperson for Vison's SAC.

Source: freshplaza.es