Posts Tagged “Peruvian blueberry exports”
HOLLISTER, CA — Once the North American blueberry season wanes, Peru’s long growing season, steady climate and greenhouse-like growing conditions will provide produce haulers with a constant volume of high-quality blueberries.
“We continue to have new acreage in play, and the crop-set looks heavier, and earlier, than last year,” said Michael Osumi, Berry People’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are expecting to begin shipping in August, a couple of weeks early, with peak arrivals planned for October through mid-December.”
Berry People now has a year-round supply of conventional and organic blueberries as a result of its increasing commercial partnerships in Peru, Chile and North America.
“As Berry People approaches our fourth year in business, our overall volume, continuity, and mix of supply allows us to make larger program commitments with key retail accounts. This year’s Peruvian season is part of that growth, and we are making customer alignments now that we hope to carry forward and upward for years to come as the acreage and volume continues to increase,” said Jerald Downs, President of Berry People.
From the COVID-related packaging supply constraints to port of entry delays, logistics is an increasing challenge for the industry, and Berry People has been chasing these issues head-on in preparation for the next 2021-2022 season. Their one-stop-mixer-dock berry model—shipping both during the summer out of the Central Coast, and in the fall, winter, and spring out of Southern California—continues to simplify shipping.
About Berry People:
Berry People is a year-round, full-line shipper of branded organic and conventional strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and owner of the Berry People brand. Headquartered in Hollister, California, the company’s ownership and key alliance partners hold important production assets in California, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Peru is the world’s leading exporter of blueberries and volume continues to grow.
Blueberry Producers of Peru (Proarandanos) has forecasted the volume of organic blueberry exports will double during the 2021-2022 season.
Total blueberry exports are estimated to total over 200,000 tons with organic exports reaching 14,000-15,000 tons, up from 7,500 tons last season.
The Association of Exporters (ADEX) has estimated organic blueberry exports will increase 220 percent, as this projection considers shipments for last season standing at 4,000 tons.
With the estimated growth rate, Peru would export 12,800 tons. While export items don’t distinguish between organic and conventional, it is difficult to have a reliable record. The only way to have a reliable record is to gather information from each blueberry company.
According to Proarandanos, the growth in both conventional and organic blueberry exports is due to the productivity, increase in the cultivated area in which they increased by 6,178 acres, for a total of 3,707 acres now.
Peru’s blueberry harvest began in May and will conclude in March 2022, with the largest volumes being exported from August to December.
The Peruvian blueberry industry is expecting a huge 40 percent rise in exports this season to about 165,000 metric tons (MT).
The South American country overtook Chile last season becoming the world’s largest exporter of fresh blueberries, sending 120,000MT to overseas markets. The Peruvian blueberry association ProArandanos reports peak volumes were forecast for early November, when a little over 10,000MT of fruit is expected to be shipped.
Asian countries are set to receive the biggest increase in percentage terms, with exports to the region due to double over last year. Meanwhile, exports to Europe are expected to increase by 50 percent, and to the U.S. by 25 percent. Peru exports about half of its blueberry volume to the U.S., 30 percent to Europe, 15 percent to Asia and the remaining 5 percent to other countries in South America, as well as the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Peru expects to export to Taiwan for the first time this coming season, having gained market access in March. The country began its export season in May, with shipments to Brazil and Thailand.