"When you see an increase of this magnitude, it's really because there is much potential. Blueberries have become one of the fruits that currently presents the best business opportunities and very attractive prices, which makes them an excellent export product. The growing demand, the production's seasonality and its qualities, have allowed this positioning," said Guillermo Parodi, technical manager of the Vison's SAC company.
Peruvian blueberry production has grown substantially in recent years. The first trial exports began in 2008, but it was in 2012 when blueberry exports had an unexpected boost. Exports in 2015 surpassed 97 million dollars, and forecasts for this year are that the country could triple these numbers.
"When you see an increase of this magnitude, it's really because there is much potential. Blueberries have become one of the fruits that currently presents the best business opportunities and very attractive prices, which makes them an excellent export product. The growing demand, the production's seasonality and its qualities, have allowed this positioning," said Guillermo Parodi, technical manager of the Vison's SAC company.
Peruvian blueberry production has grown substantially in recent years. The first trial exports began in 2008, but it was in 2012 when blueberry exports had an unexpected boost. Exports in 2015 surpassed 97 million dollars, and forecasts for this year are that the country could triple these numbers.
Peru exports the Biloxi blueberry variety, mostly because it is easy to handle in post-harvest and because it has the appropriate size for the blueberry market in this period. "The Biloxi is a bit more acidic, but this is offset by the storage and marketing opportunities it offers. Personally, I think it's an export variety suited to our reality, and it is a variety that the European and North American markets accept. In the short term, I do not think we'll change varieties; we would have to conduct many tests before we do," he added.
Even though China is an important export market for the vast majority of Peruvian products, Peru still hasn't positioned its blueberries in the Chinese market. However, together with the development of organic blueberries, it is within this year's marketing expansion plan. "China is a market that is still growing, so we are promoting our blueberries in this market. Organic Blueberries are the the next alternative we are working on. We are organizing things to obtain the necessary certifications that will allow us to enter the organic trade of this fruit, and refining our processes to improve production and export process," Parodi concluded.
