Portugal ranks fourth among blueberry producers in the Europe-North Africa region, with a production of 18,000 tonnes in 2022, according to the International Blueberry Organisation. This puts it in first place among the smaller countries, with a higher production than, for example, Germany, Serbia and Italy.
In the past five years, blueberry production in Portugal has doubled.
In the last two years, exports grew in value by 29.5% to EUR 41.1 million. In the same period, volume exports increased by 35.8% from 5523 tonnes (2021) to 7500 tonnes (2022).
The average value of Portuguese blueberries for export has decreased in the last three years from Eur 5.91/kg (2020) to Eur 5.48/kg. The highest values are recorded in the period between September and May-April, whereas between May and August, coinciding with production peaks, the average value of blueberries for export declines.
The next graph shows the development of export quantities per month, from which the peak in the summer months is evident. The total quantities rose from 5473 tonnes (2020) to 7499 tonnes (2022).
The destination markets for Portugal's blueberries are mainly Spain (20%) and the Netherlands (both of which also play an important role as re-export hubs to other neighbouring markets) as well as France. Exports to Germany (5%) and the United Kingdom (4%) are stable and less significant.
The balance of trade for blueberries in the period January-August 2023 was in surplus by more than EUR 18 million, with imports occurring in all months apart from July.
Source: Portugal Fresh
