"Peru started in mid July. It's very early in three weeks, ”says Kaz Bhatti of Gold Coast Produce in Chicago, IL. He says that Gold Coast works with a larger producer that is in full production, although the smaller producers that Gold Coast also works with will not go until week 38. In general, the season should start in January.

Also in offshore production, Argentina it will start shipping at the end of September and Chile will start production in December. “I see a good offshore season,” says Bhatti. “I heard that Chile it's a little late. They usually start the first week of December, but I've heard it might be closer to the end of December and January."

Mexico also started

Meanwhile, some regions of Mexico They started production last week. “We should start to see decent volume this week, with certain regions through May.”

La British Columbia it also continues to produce some fruit. “BC has been hit by extreme heat several times in recent weeks and it could end sooner rather than later as the quality of the fruit has deteriorated each week. Some growers can go until the end of August. But most will be done much sooner, ”Bhatti said. "The market last week was $ 12 a $ 14 and this week you can't find much. But if there is fruit in British Columbia, the price of pints has risen to $18-$22 FOB ".

The national season is also coming to an end. On the west coast, Bhatti notes that Oregon and Washington, two regions that have also seen heat waves this summer, are still continuing. But given the most recent heat wave, he says he's not sure how arrivals will be affected. "The market has risen to $ 20- $ 22 pretty much all over the United States, ”says Bhatti.

National meteorological issues

And in the east, New Jersey still have some fruit available and Michigan keep producing. “Michigan has seen a lot of rain. They should come in in September, although that depends on what the recent storms have done to the crops, ”he says.

Meeting all of these tighter supplies is one stronger demand for blueberries, demand that has increased this week. “It is stable and strong because the market showed between $ 10 and $ 14 in pints on Wednesday of last week. The price has increased significantly since last Thursday and the fuerte demand it has absorbed a lot of fruit. The market has adjusted to the range of $ 20- $ 24 + ”.

Looking ahead, prices will continue to rise. “It is already increasing. It will continue to increase by $ 1-2 per week for the next two months through October. I see that the FOB market in pints will be between $ 30 and $ 34 in mid to late September, ”says Bhatti. "And then potentially receive up $ 38- $ 40. Then in mid to late October, prices should start to decline as it has in recent years, and we should see prices in pints in the range of $20-24 FOB for Thanksgiving Day ”.