United Kingdom opens the door to Guatemala's blueberry
Guatemala made the first export of blueberries to the United Kingdom and opened the window of opportunity to explore a demanding market similar to the United States.
The firm Planesa, based in Parramos, Chimaltenango, dispatched 13 containers in the last four weeks to the main supermarket chains in England.
"It is the first time that production is shipped to Europe and a market was found to be able to export," said Roberto Castañeda, president of the company Planesa.
The executive explained that it is pending to finalize a negotiation to make the shipments of blueberries in the United States, which were originally agreed for this year.
There is demand
Carolyn Davidson, ambassador of the United Kingdom in Guatemala, confirmed that there is interest from the main London chains in acquiring products from Guatemala, especially those related to fresh fruits and vegetables.
The diplomat explained that Guatemala has exported US $ 94 million in fruits and the firm Planesa is the main exporter of blueberries to the United Kingdom.
While Castañeda said that the production of cranberry was the result of a process that lasted five years, and that research showed that the crop can be grown all year in the area of Chimaltenango.
He said that cranberry is a new product that is included in the export agricultural offer and that another species of the same family is being sought to offer two varieties.
The window of opportunity is in seasons where countries like Peru, Chile and Argentina, do not produce, but they are the market for years.
Potential in Asia
Roberto Castañeda, president of Planesa, said that one of the company's future plans is to ship cranberry to several Asian countries from the plant located in Mexico.
"Unfortunately, Guatemala does not have commercial relations with several Asian countries, while - Mexico does, so we are going to start studying the possibility of making shipments," he said.
He also reported that he visited potential markets such as the People's Republic of China, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong two weeks ago, where he could confirm the high demand for fruit.
"The product will make it possible to pay better salaries in the country and raise foreign currency," he said.
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