Temporada positiva para los arándanos argentinos: «Es un proceso constante de cambio a variedades más nuevas»
«The Argentine blueberry season has been quite positive. In general, it has been much better than the 2016 season. That year, the Peruvian and Argentine offer coincided, so the market collapsed. Even so, there are markets that prefer our fruit for flavor and sweetness (Brix level higher). However, other markets prefer the fruit of Peru«, explica Carlos Stabile, de Extraberries Argentina.
Los principales destinos de exportación de Extraberries es Norteamérica, seguida de Europa y el Reino Unido. «We are always eager to expand our export. When the season was about to end, we were granted access to the Chinese market, so we will start selling in this new destination starting next season«.
Explica que, en general, el mercado del arándano está creciendo. «There are some mature markets because the consumption of blueberries is part of the tradition, such as the United States and Canada. However, there are still markets in which consumption is growing, such as Europe, and also Argentina itself. Blueberries are a fairly new fruit for the Argentine market and this year consumption has grown significantly. It's something very positive for the producers«.
La producción total de arándanos del grupo procede de tres empresas distintas, de tres puntos distintos. Extraberries en Salta, noroeste de Argentina, con 170 hectáreas; Extraberries de Concordia, en Entre Ríos, noreste de Argentina, con 85 hectáreas, y por último Gamorel en Salto, Uruguay, con 170 hectáreas. Las variedades son Snowchaser, Emerald, Star y también otras más nuevas, como Farthing y Kestrel. «It is a constant process of changing production to newer varieties, as there will always be improved varieties with, for example, a longer shelf life or improved quality«.
«This group of companies is the only one in Argentina and Uruguay that works with a Unitec sorting machine, the Blueberry Vision. We have acquired three machines, one for each farm. The machine classifies based on performance, quality and softness. It has been an investment, although this way we trust more in the fruit that we export. Considering that we are increasing exports by sea, being sure of the quality of the fruit is a huge advantage«.
Cherries
Cerezas Argentinas y Frutos de los Lagos forman parte del mismo grupo de empresas, con una producción de cerezas de 170 hectáreas y 130 hectáreas, respectivamente. «The production of Frutas de los Lagos has ecological certification, something very unique, since there is hardly any offer of organic cherries. The demand for organic cherries is growing«.
«Our production of cherries is in the exact place to have the correct growth conditions, such as a dry and fresh climate«, indica. «The season goes from November to January and the season has been good. As for blueberries, the export markets are the United States and Europe, and some shipments are also made to Asia. The good thing is that we are in the process of opening the Chinese market, we hope that materializes in 2019«.
«Every year we experience strong competition from Chile, which affects the price. However, I think the demand for cherries is enough for both countries to place the fruit«.
Source: FreshPlaza
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