Uruguay: The excess of blueberries plunges the sector
Between a 10% and 15% of blueberry production estimated at about 300.000 kilos, it is still in the plants and will not be harvested due to the abundance of supply from other origins of the southern hemisphere, which pulled down international prices and threatens to continue going down every week.
With the cessation of harvests, around 20.000 days will be lost, representing between US $ 450.000 and US $ 600.000 and that stick strong in the interior of the country, according to data provided by the Union of Producers and Exporters Frutihortícolas of Uruguay (Upefruit) , which also includes 2007 exporting companies in the sector.
According to the source, the internal costs, measured in dollars, rose between an 15% and an 16%, so the combo of a price decrease of 15% more equal percentage of increase in costs, means an impact on the kilos exported higher than 32%.
Upefruit confirmed that most producers stopped the crops in the face of uncertain future, but there are other companies that are working on costs to keep people working, even if their numbers are in red.
The production of blueberries and the subsequent export of this fruit was born in 2003, with the European Union market as the main destination, but in 2007 was added the opening of the United States. Up to 2008 the sector grew in quantity of plants and in 2012 it was already with 800 hectares of crop. Most of the blueberry plantations are on the coast, where companies compete for costs with the productions of Entre Rios, Salta and Tucumán. The sector bet strongly on investment and varietal replacement, to move from varieties with productions of 10.000 kilos to others with 15.000 and 20.000 kilos per hectare, but still could not recover the initial investment by the market.
Source: Elpais.com.uy
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