Season 2021-2022

Peru plans to export 211,200 tons of fresh blueberries during the season 2021-2022, which represents an increase in 30% compared to 162,459 tons shipped the previous season, he said Daniel Bustamante Canny, president of the Association of Blueberry Producers of Peru (Proarandanos).

Bustamante said that the Peruvian blueberry industry It is relatively young, with shipments that began in the 2015-2016 season exporting 12,951 tons. Six seasons later it has already grown more than 12 times, making Peru the main world supplier of this fruit.

It continued to highlight a greater participation of organic blueberries, since the 2020-2021 season represents 4% of the total exported (6.500 tons), and for this season it is expected to represent the 9% of the total (19.000 tons) almost tripling in volume.

“There are high expectations for organic blueberries because there is a very strong trend in the world to eat products natural and healthy", said. “We expect that in the next 5 years organic blueberry exports will grow at the same rate as the blueberry industry, that is, between the 10% and 15% of the total production would be organic ”.

Markets

United States will remain the main destination during the 2021-2022 season, receiving the 50,7% of the total exported. However, it will represent a smaller participation compared to the previous season when it represented the 52,9% (86.379 tons).

Europe will participate with 31,6% (34,7% in the previous season), followed by China almost doubling its demand from 9,7% in the 2020/2021 season to 15,5% in the 2021-2022 season. Other markets will go from representing the 2,7% to 2,2%.

“This increase in shipments to China is due to the new varieties of blueberries that have been planted in our country that attract attention in that market, that resist longer trips and have a longer postharvest life, ”said Bustamante.

In this regard, he said that Peru currently has 46 varieties of blueberries, when in 2016 there were only 13 varieties.

He said that Peruvian blueberries are currently exported to 30 countries and it is expected that this season they will enter India and it is also negotiating through Senasa to open the markets of Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam, among others.