The Association of Blueberry Producers of Peru (Proarándanos), indicated that in the 2021/2022 campaign (close to close), exports of fresh blueberries would reach 222.714 tons, of which a large percentage comes from the Ventura and Biloxi variety, one of the oldest planted in Peru, when the berry business was just taking off in 2013; however, now the producers want to differentiate themselves.

Ricardo Polis, regional director of Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, highlighted that in the current campaign (2021/2022) the varietal replacement began, in fact he pointed out that there are fewer and fewer plants of the Biloxi variety because they are removing it. "And what we have is more demand for varieties like Atlas and Bianca."

“The blueberry consumption revolution has already begun, it happened with grapes before. In the short term, the consumer will have a better quality of fruit, sweeter, larger and crunchier. And what the producer will have is higher productivity per hectare and a lower harvest cost,” he added.

Because they are of larger sizes (22 millimeters), Polis explains that the harvest time will only be half that of what happens with the old varieties, whose fruits, being small, are more difficult to cut on the ground. In terms of productivity, the new genetics have average yields above 28.000 kilos per hectare, while now it is almost 20.000 kilos.

Along these lines, adds Polis, Peru is leading the replacement of varietals in the blueberry market. Although he avoided giving a figure regarding the increase in demand for this year, he projected that of the more than 300.000 tons of blueberries that Peru could send in 2025, around 120.000 tons will be of new genetic varieties. “That is a very important volume and it will attract the attention of the best supermarkets in the world. In the same trend, Morocco, Mexico and Chile have just started”, he noted.

But in addition to better flavor and size, growers have also stepped up the pace of organic production. For the next campaign, it is expected to increase from 8% to 15% the participation of organic berries in the total volume sent to the different markets, said Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Proarandanos.

Regarding the new producing areas, Polis pointed out that the regions of Áncash (Callejón de Huaylas) and Cajamarca have demonstrated qualities -thermal conditions- to produce blueberries with an exceptional flavor.

According to the Terra Business company, Peru would go from having 15.000 hectares of blueberries to 20.000 hectares by 2024.