The Peruvian Growers and Exporters Association of blueberries expects exports to exceed 250,000 tons by the end of the 2022/23 season
The current season for Peru's blueberries is off to a great start, but the industry association Proarandanos predicts that export records will rise again. The association of Peruvian blueberries growers and exporters said that from the start of the season in May through the end of July more than 10,000 tons were exported, surpassing the start of last season.
PERU, TARGET 250,000 TONS
Luis Miguel Vegas, director of Proarandanos, said that if this trend continues throughout the 2022/23 season, the industry would break the export record for the second consecutive season. "If the campaign continues like this, we estimate to exceed 250,000 tons by the end of the campaign," Vegas said.
"This would represent a growth of more than 25 percent over last season. We also estimate that 90 percent will be exported between August and December and 50 percent between September and October."
In the first three months of the 2022/23 season, China was the main export destination with 3,906 tons, accounting for 37 percent of exports. This was followed by the United States with 34 percent of exports, with 3,649 tons, andEurope (excluding the United Kingdom) with 13 percent, with 1,394 tons.
"The blueberries industry has a significant impact on employment generation. It created 120,000 direct jobs in rural areas in the 2021/22 campaign, and this campaign is expected to generate more jobs. In addition, it is an inclusive industry where 52 percent of the workforce is women between the ages of 26 and 30," Vegas said.
Access to new markets has been a growth engine for the Peruvian industry at blueberries. In recent years it has gained access to Taiwan (2020). India and Malaysia (2021) and Israel (2022). Currently, Peru is in the process of gaining access to other markets such as Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, New Zealand, and Ecuador.
Despite this progress, the sector still faces logistical challenges and rising shipping costs and agricultural inputs.
Source:Fruitnet
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