Shipments of fresh blueberries likely to increase by 36.3% in volume and 17% in value in the 2022/23 season

To date in the current season (May-October), shipments of fresh blueberries have reached 153,228,933 kilos for US$ 843,725,006, showing an increase in volume of 31% compared to those shipped in the same period of the previous season 

In the season May 2022/April 2023, Peruvian exports of fresh blueberries will be close to 300,000 tonnes for a value of around US$ 1,500,000,000, which will represent an increase of 36.3% in volume and 17% in value, compared to the 220,000 tonnes shipped for US$ 1,278,267,877 in the previous season (2021/2022).

Thus projected the president of the consultancy firm Inform@cción, Fernando Cillóniz Benavides, who expressed his satisfaction with the “impressive” volume of fresh blueberries that Peru will export this season.

He indicated that to date this season (May-October), shipments of fresh blueberries have reached 153,228,933 kilos for US$ 843,725,006, presenting an increase in volume of 31% compared to the volumes shipped in the same period of the previous season 2021/2022.

He pointed out that  the season was already past its peak, which is recorded in the months of September and October, where 70,658,254 kilos and 70,471,651 kilos were exported, respectively, when in the previous season shipments amounted to 58,108,202 kilos in September and 57,608,186 kilos in October.

“It is extraordinary. We have never before reached 60 million kilos of fresh blueberries exported and in this season there are two months in which more than 70 million kilos have already been sent”, he highlighted.

As for the destination markets for fresh blueberries from Peru to date this season (May-October), he detailed that they were North America with 80,398,181 kilos for US$ 436,291,938, Europe with 46,183,439 kilos for US$ 236,909,324, Asia with 26,010,288 kilos for US$ 166,906,584, and Latin America with 533,924 kilos for US$ 3,617,159.

The main exporting companies of this fruit are: Camposol, Hortifrut Peru, Agrovision Peru, Complejo Agroindustrial Beta, Agrícola Cerro Prieto, Agroberries Peru, Danper Trujillo, HFE Berries Peru, Hass Peru, Blueberries Peru, among others.

Do not increase more crops

At another moment, Fernando Cillóniz said that the price of blueberries (as for other fruits) has been falling year after year, due to the significant increase in the Peruvian supply (and from other origins). Added to this is the increase in production costs (fuel, fertilizers, labor, energy, freight, among others).

He detailed that the average price per kilo of blueberry in the 2018/2019 season: August US$ 7.84, September US$ 8.62, October US$ 8.13, November US$ 7.90. In the 2019/2020 season: August US$ 7.44, September US$ 7.93, October US$ 6.86. In the 2020/2021 season: August US$ 6.70, September US$ 7.01, October US$ 6.37. In the 2021/2022 season: August US$ 6.70, September US$ 6.24, October US$ 5.50. While in the 2022/2023 season: August US$ 5.62, September US$ 5.47, October US$ 4.90.

The president of the consultancy Inform@cción said that if one compares a month with the same month of the previous season, a decrease in the price can be seen. He added that in October this year the price was below US$ 5 a kilo, which had not happened before.

“I would suggest that we stop a little bit with the increase of new areas of this and other fruits and start measuring better, look for other crops. We should diversify with traditional crops whose prices have increased, such as potatoes, cotton, maize, sugar, coffee,” he concluded.

Data

Cillóniz said that despite the fact that at the end of the current season, blueberry shipments would be close to US$ 1,500 million, it will not exceed table grape shipments, which by the end of the 2022/2023 season would reach US$ 1,800 million, thus maintaining its privileged position as the country’s main agroexport crop.