The Peruvian blueberry season is over and the market is now mainly dominated by Chile. However, this South American country has a shortage of labor for harvesting and traders expect volumes going to Europe to decline from week 7 onwards. Later, the season will move to Mediterranean countries, such as Spain and Morocco. Both countries expect to be in the market later than usual, which could create a gap in the market. In North America, volumes threaten to accumulate on the east coast, while shipments to the west coast may be reduced due to logistical problems at the port of Los Angeles. In South Africa, volumes on the domestic market are now declining after prices collapsed due to a large supply of domestic blueberries.

Netherlands: turbulent blueberry market

According to a Dutch importer, the blueberry market is turbulent at the moment. “We are dealing with delays for many maritime shipments from Chile. In addition, big promotions have been organized in Germany that are absorbing a large part of the offer, so the day trade is under pressure. This week is the last with the arrival of large shipments from Chile, after that the supply will decrease rapidly. As of week 6/7, 50% of the current volume will still be available. Chile is dealing with significant labor shortage issues, which means fruit cannot always be picked on time. This is reflected in the quality of the arrivals, with many overripe and delicate berries. Chilean blueberry prices range between 5 and 5,50 euros (in bulk).”

“Morocco has started the season slowly. Due to the cold, this season has also been delayed a bit. Consequently, the prices are good, reaching 9 euros per kilo at the moment”, says the importer. “In qualitative terms, we expect the Chilean season to end from week 7, while Morocco will have good commercial volumes available from week 7/8, so there should be a good transition between them.”

Germany: shortages and quality problems in retail

Conditions on the blueberry market in Germany are very difficult at the moment. Most of the volumes available at the moment come from Chile, where the coronavirus crisis has led to a shortage of picking and packing workers. “As a result, we are seeing a clear shortage in exports to Europe,” said a German importer. “Many volumes are picked up too late, making them unsuitable for export to Europe, and they cannot be offered to the United States either. We also have problems with the shipment of goods in Rotterdam. It is not uncommon for our products to arrive a week late, which of course is also detrimental to the quality of the product.”

Demand in German retail, on the other hand, remains high. “The closure of the restaurant sector has obviously created a gap in the wholesale trade; however, this is more than offset by retail sales. We have been seeing this high demand for some time. The volumes that arrive during the Chilean season are growing every year. This also applies to demand, so there are no surpluses and the market situation remains basically the same."

Due to the aforementioned problems, the Chilean season ends a few weeks early. The last large batches are expected to arrive in the third week of February. Normally, there is still a lot of Chilean supply available well into March. “This means that we will switch to Moroccan and Spanish products much earlier than usual.” Prices for Chilean blueberries currently sit at 6-8 euros/kg, while those for Spanish and Moroccan productions are expected to start at around 10 euros/kg.

United Kingdom: Chilean exports lower than expected

The blueberry season got off to a good start after an early European finish. This resulted in high prices in September and well into October, although the market was under some pressure towards the end of October and into November due to the large volumes exported by Peru. In December, the market began to show signs of recovery. So far, January has been a great month, as Chile has not been exporting large volumes as we expected.

France: demand is low

Chile is currently the main supplier to the French market. The quality and volumes that arrive are satisfactory for French merchants. After Chile, blueberries will arrive from neighboring Spain. However, the demand in the market itself is quite low at the moment.

Italy: sales remain stable

A northern Italian wholesaler says that conditions on the blueberry market are good, despite the lack of the catering channel. Bakeries and restaurants have always been big buyers of blueberries, but despite the pandemic shutdowns, there is no shortage of purchases. Chile is currently on the market, after a few weeks in which the main supplier was Peru. The product is imported by plane or ship and the wholesaler receives it already packaged in 125-gram trays. The wholesaler sells “giant” type blueberries and the wholesale price in January fluctuated between 8 and 11 euros/kg. The quality is good. After Chile, imports will begin to arrive from North Africa, especially Morocco, and in late spring it will be time for Italian production, first in the south and then in central and northern Italy.

Spain: Possible gap in the market due to late harvest

Despite the pandemic and strict restrictions around the world, the demand for blueberries remains high. The sale of South American blueberries (Argentina, Chile and Peru) is going very well; however, volumes appear to be lower this year. The last shipments of Chilean blueberries will arrive in Europe between the first and second week of February, although the South American season normally ends in early March. Only a few small volumes of Peruvian blueberries will arrive in the last weeks of February. For its part, Spain has had snowstorms and frosts in early January that will delay production. Morocco is also off to a slow start this year; therefore, blueberry volumes are expected to be very limited between the last two weeks of February and the first two weeks of March. From that moment on, Spanish volumes will gradually increase.

Poland: Very challenging season completed

In summer, Poland experienced frosts that affected 30-40% of early blueberry varieties. Demand was very slow at the beginning of the season but gradually recovered. The price of Polish blueberries has been higher this year due to the weather and the pandemic. Production costs are higher than for most other fruits, and in addition, Poland struggled to find workers this year, as the pandemic made it difficult for workers from Ukraine to travel to work in Poland. Polish blueberries are sold all over the world, but European countries, as well as countries in the Middle East and Asia, remain the main markets for them.

South Africa: More sales in the local market due to challenges in logistics

15.636 tonnes of South African blueberries were exported until the end of 2020; more than in the 2019/2020 season, when 12.221 tons were shipped. The peak of exports was reached between week 41 and week 46. However, heavy rains and cold weather made the harvest less than initially expected. Due to the shortage of air cargo capacity and delays in logistics, many producers decided to sell their products on the local market, causing prices to fall. The sector has set itself the objective of also exporting more blueberries by ship instead of by air, because the costs of the latter are very high and have continued to rise in 2020.

Last week, the price of blueberries on the domestic market stood at 100,47 ZAR (5,45 euros) per kilo. Prices have now risen 77% and have reached ZAR 177,33 (9,46 euros) per kilo because the supply is lower. Most of the export volumes go to the UK and the EU. The Middle East and Asia also remain important destinations.

United States: Port delays could hamper the season

The supply of blueberries in North America is lower than normal, largely due to logistical problems. Most of the blueberries come from Chile, which began shipping at the beginning of the year. These go mainly to the east coast. Mexican blueberries mostly end up on the west coast. Chile currently has a labor shortage for harvesting. Additionally, Peru ended earlier than expected and there are currently significant delays at the Port of Los Angeles. Sometimes loads are delayed for a few days. The volumes are still available on the market. An East Coast importer is partly concerned about these developments, because volumes that are actually destined for the West Coast could end up on the East Coast, in turn generating more competition and increased supply.

The demand in the market is stable at the moment, but the supply is decreasing. Consumers are also showing more interest in larger packaging formats. Over the past two weeks, the price has continued to rise, which is good for producers in Mexico and Chile. The Chilean supply should continue at its peak until March.

China: Growing Production and Market Potential

The quality at the beginning of the Chilean blueberry season was not that good. With the growth of the market, more and more exporters see potential in the Chinese market and are beginning to enter it. But some new exporters are unfamiliar with the Chinese market trends and do not know what kind of fruit local customers want. Some ship products of inadequate quality in droves. The purchasing power to buy expensive imported fruit is generally lower due to the coronavirus. This year's sales are not doing as well as in previous years, partly because of the fear of viruses.

Although the volume of blueberry imports from China is growing rapidly every year, the number of blueberry greenhouses in Yunnan is growing just as fast. National companies have a great advantage when it comes to blueberry plantation and total production volumes. There is huge market potential in the blueberry sector. A growing number of international companies have invested in Chinese blueberry growers. This is putting enormous pressure on the blueberry market.

Southern tall bush varieties have been around since 2018. More than 80% of newly planted areas in greenhouses in northern production areas are of these varieties, and more than 60% of production in the unheated greenhouses of Shandong is of southern tall bush varieties. O'Neill”, “Misti”, “Legosi”, “Emerald”, and “Jewelry” have become the dominant blueberry varieties south of the Yangtze River.

Australia: peak sales

The blueberry season in Australia is currently in full swing and prices in stores have risen. Last year 19.000 tons of blueberries were grown; an increase of 13% in terms of volume. The value increased by 10% to 338,7 million Australian dollars (212,7 million euros).

New Zealand: increased consumption of blueberries

Statistics released in December showed New Zealanders consumed a record 8 million cups of blueberries worth more than NZD 30 million (€ 17,6 million) last season. That is an increase of 1,1 million baskets (+ 15,2%). The New Zealand Blueberry Growers Trade Association expects sales to increase further this summer due to the crown crisis. 60% of blueberries are exported to Australia and Asia.