The US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service released its report China: Blueberry Annual Voluntary 2023 outlining the state of China's blueberry industry and recent market trends. In this article, Produce Report has summarized the key results.

According to the report, China replaced the United States as the world's largest producer of blueberries in 2021, while also being a major importer of blueberries. China's blueberry consumption is expected to experience further growth in the coming years.

Data from the International Blueberry Organization indicates that the area planted to blueberries worldwide reached 235.400 hectares in 2021, with a total production of 1,79 million metric tons. China ranked first with a planted area of ​​69.036 hectares, followed by the United States, Chile, Peru and Canada. During the same year, China imported 29.597 metric tons of blueberries, mainly from Peru and Chile.

Although blueberries are far from being a traditional fruit in China, the continuous improvement in living standards and the growing awareness of the health benefits of eating a variety of fruits have led an increasing number of consumers to consider blueberries. blueberries as a viable option. Even though cranberries are often processed into dried fruit snacks to be eaten with nuts, fresh cranberries also remain a popular choice among Chinese consumers. Blueberries with large size, high sugar content, attractive appearance, firm texture and long shelf life are highly sought after in the Chinese market.

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Currently, 26 of China's 34 provincial-level administrative regions are engaged in the commercial cultivation of blueberries, with the fruit being planted mainly in greenhouses or open fields or a combination of both. More than 56% of the blueberries grown in China go to the processing sector.

Guizhou, Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, and Yunnan are the main blueberry-producing regions in China. In 2021, these five provinces accounted for 76,8% of China's total blueberry production. Yunnan Province, with its unique climatic and geographical conditions, such as high altitude, wide temperature fluctuation between day and night, and long hours of sunshine, is the main production region for fresh blueberries in China.

Over the past five years, major national and international blueberry companies, including Driscoll's of the United States, Costa from Australia and Joy Wing Mau of China, have made significant investments in Yunnan, which currently produces the best commercially grown blueberries in China. However, blueberry growers in the province now face a major hurdle: they find it difficult to further expand their planting areas, given the strict policies implemented by Chinese authorities over the past decade to protect arable land used for other crops. crops.

COMMERCE

In 2012, China granted market access to blueberries from several countries, including Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Canada, and Peru. In 2019, Peru overtook Chile as the largest supplier of blueberries to China. Currently, Peru and Chile together account for more than 99% of China's blueberry imports, taking advantage of free trade agreements and off-season availability. Blueberries from these two countries are not subject to the 15% tariff that all other exporters must pay.

January and February represent the low season for China's domestic blueberries, but the demand for high-quality fruit always increases during the Chinese New Year. Therefore, the sales of imported blueberries reach a peak in these two months. In order to expand its market share, Peruvian blueberries have been striving each year to reach China as soon as possible. In the 2022 season, the first batch of Peruvian blueberries reached high-end supermarkets as early as July. This early availability of Peruvian blueberries and the large number of Chinese domestic blueberries on the market have reduced the market share of Canadian blueberries, which have rarely been seen in China since 2020.

Fresh US blueberries were approved for entry into the Chinese market in May 2020, with the first commercial shipment arriving in July 2021. The blueberries in this shipment reportedly sold out quickly due to their high quality and large size. In the 2022 season, a new variety of blueberries called Peachy Blue was exported from the United States to China. This new variety features a large size and a unique aromatic flavor reminiscent of peaches, which immediately attracted the attention of fruit dealers and consumers. Meanwhile, the export volume of processed US blueberries to China has tripled since 2020, largely attributed to the higher sugar content and softer skin of US blueberries, making them particularly suitable for serve as ingredients in drinks and yogurt.

MARKET TRENDS

Blueberry consumption in China is expected to continue to grow steadily in the coming years. Due to the high unit price of blueberries, first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have so far been the main consumption markets, although demand from Northeast China has also been increasing rapidly in recent years. Currently, China's domestic blueberry growers are striving to expand their planting areas and explore new varieties more suitable for the Chinese market.

In China, blueberries are typically graded into three grades: 12-14mm, 14-18mm, and 18mm+. Those produced in Yunnan province have an additional grade of 22 millimeters or more. Large-sized blueberries enjoy strong market demand, especially in the run-up to Chinese New Year. Due to their limited supply, large blueberries always fetch much higher prices. According to reports, a professor in southern China has even successfully developed a new variety of blueberries with a diameter of more than 26 millimeters.