In week 42, the blueberry market is dominated mainly by Mexico, Peru and South Africa. Peruvian blueberries in particular are available on every continent. The first shipments are arriving again in China, and now that the European and North American seasons are coming to an end, the blueberries of the South American country are taking over. Something remarkable, however, is that more South American markets are entering the world market strongly. In Australia, prices have fallen dramatically due to oversupply.

Netherlands: blueberry shortage, despite higher supply

South America and South Africa are currently the most important blueberry suppliers on the market. According to a Dutch importer, it should be noted that some new producing countries are becoming more present. “In South America, for example, in addition to established countries like Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, more and more berries are coming from Brazil and Colombia. Qualitatively, these berries belong to the middle range. From Africa, we see a volume increase coming from Namibia and Zimbabwe. According to him, the market situation is very good. “Peru and most other countries have higher production than in previous years, but in recent weeks there have been shortages in the market and the demand has reached a very high level. The shortage is becoming somewhat less of an issue because prices are high and demand is falling, but we can still talk about an above-average price. Peru is now at its peak in terms of volume, so more promotional campaigns are being carried out, especially with packaging formats between 400 and 750 grams, with 500 grams as the standard. This is a very good development, because it means that the stock is running low. In regular programs, German supermarkets in particular are also increasingly switching from the 125-gram pack to the 200-gram pack.”

Germany: strong year for domestic production

In Germany, the national season has come to an end almost everywhere. Only in some places are small quantities still delivered. Currently Peru dominates the supply, but South Africa and Argentina are also present. Argentina has had a good harvest, but due to a lack of air cargo capacity caused by the pandemic, volumes are only slowly reaching the European market, says an importer. The demand from the retail sector is not that high, and mainly 200 and 300 gram packages are offered, instead of 500 grams.

National production has fallen as much as 40 percent below average in some areas due to a lack of seasonal workers and damage from frost. Due to the positive effect of blueberries on the immune system, sales were further stimulated by the coronavirus pandemic. Partly because of this, the season also ended a bit earlier than usual. Finally, it should be noted that blueberries are increasingly becoming a year-round product in Germany.

Italy: the national season is over

The Italian blueberry season has now come to an end. Currently, most of the blueberries on the Italian market come from Peru.

A major trader in northern Italy, who closed the season in September, says Italian production is growing every year. In addition, more and more attention is paid to quality, larger varieties and better shelf life. In the 2020 season, the yields per hectare were average and the prices were also satisfactory. They ranged between € 6 and € 12 / kg, depending on the season, size and quality. At the beginning of the season, in the months of May and June, there were problems finding workers due to the coronavirus, but after that the situation stabilized ”. In northern Italy, various types of blueberries are grown in greenhouses to advance the start of the harvest to mid-May.

In Campania, the blueberry season ended in August. “It's certainly been a good year, but not one to get excited about. Good volumes have been harvested, with an average price of €4-5/kg”, comments a trader. Currently, the wholesale markets sell class I Peruvian blueberries at around €15/kg.

South Africa: Revised Outlook Due to Low Temperatures

Blueberry production is lower than initially expected due to the cold weather in the northern regions of the country. Berries ZA had estimated this season's harvest at around 23.000 tonnes, of which 17.000 were destined for export. Now those prospects have been revised down to 22.000 tonnes, with exports also substantially lower. Until week 41, 3.703 tonnes of blueberries were exported, with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as the main destinations. The South African blueberry season will peak in the next ten weeks.

China: Imports from Peru available again on the Chinese market

The first blueberries are already available on the Chinese market. At the moment, they are still arriving by air, but in a few weeks the first reefer containers arriving by sea will follow. Some Chinese exporters say the berries are of lower quality this year because more of the smaller companies in South America are able to sell their products in China and they are not always of the right quality. Due to this difference in quality, sales are not as good as last year. However, some large companies that have already built a reputation in the Chinese market are not affected. Sales are doing well. Therefore, several major players have increased their exports to China.

This year, the average price of imported blueberries is slightly higher than before, as producers expect a lot from the Chinese market and ask for higher prices. Large exporters also charge high prices, but at a stable level. For the first time this year, Peruvian blueberries are also arriving in Taiwan. The first refrigerated containers with blueberries left in early October. However, the attention of most exporters remains on mainland China.

United States: market shortage

There is currently a limited supply of blueberries in the North American market. Considerable shortages are expected, especially in weeks 42 and 43. The national season is over and the market is currently dependent on imports from Mexico and Peru. The outlook is that there will be 20-25% more good quality production, although this remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, some blueberries from Peru are also making their way to the United States. A larger harvest is expected there, although imports are not yet consistent at this time.

The shortage is due in part to volumes going to Europe and Asia. After all, when Peru started, the price was low, so the blueberries were diverted to other destinations. Only when there is enough America does it become interesting. Therefore, import movements have had an impact on the national blueberry production. For many regions, their marketing window has become a more competitive period. Switching to new varieties is often difficult, as it takes 10-12 years for plants to reach maturity.

While the markets are strong now, they should stabilize in November. A North Carolina grower predicts prices to range between $28 and $32 in the first three weeks of November as a result of increasing volumes. Peru started harvesting a little over a week ago and that fruit should arrive in North America in week 44. The Mexican supply will also strengthen at that time. “Supply is picking up, but we still have a few weeks to go in tight markets here in the US,” the grower said.

Mexico: 20-25% increase

The season started for Mexican growers in October and volumes are expected to increase by 20-25%. The United States is the main destination for exports. Volumes shipped are growing and supply to US importers is still limited. Exports should grow in the coming weeks, while Peru will also send more. Ultimately, this can result in some pressure on prices.

Argentina: better quality

Argentina's blueberry season is already underway, although its volumes are lower than those of Peru and Mexico, which are the main suppliers at this time of year. Importers see higher quality fruit from Argentina this season compared to the previous one.

Peru: longer season and more abundant harvests

This year, the start of the season has been somewhat staggered. Depending on how the harvest is going, total production is expected to increase 40% compared to last year, although it is still too early to confirm this preliminary forecast. Europe, the United States and China receive the majority of shipments. The season is expected to last until February. As volumes grow, prices should drop, as is often the case at this time of the season.

Australia: prices fell sharply due to abundant supply

The blueberry season in New South Wales is in full swing and sales prices have fallen dramatically in recent weeks due to an abundant supply. Despite the good quality, the price for a 125 gram tray has fluctuated around AUD 2,50 (€ 1,51) in most major supermarkets and has sometimes even dropped below that.

New Zealand: the value of exports continues to grow

According to the latest annual edition of Fresh Facts, New Zealand's blueberry exports continue to grow every year. In 2019, fruit exports amounted to NZD 38,9 million (€ 21,97 million); in 2018 the total value was NZD 34,8 million and in 2000 it was NZD 6,8 million. The report also revealed that 3.040 tonnes were harvested from 640 hectares, and that the national value in 2018/19 reached 23 million NZD (13 million euros). On the domestic market, processed blueberries were worth NZD 2,8 million (EUR 1,6 million).