Blueberry prices in the U.S. and Europe fell sharply in the last couple of months of 2018 amid a significant rise in Peruvian exports this season.
Peruvian blueberry exports from November were 60% higher year-on-year at 54,500 metric tons (MT), according to data from PromPeru. From Chile, total volumes through December were the same as last season at 46,600MT, figures from the Chilean Blueberry Committee show, while from Argentina over the same period they were 8% down at 14,800MT, according to the Argentinean Blueberry Committee.
Meanwhile, average importer-level prices in the U.S. for a 12x6oz box of Southern Hemisphere fruit were up 19% up in October at US$27.50, USDA AMS data shows.
But since then they have fallen well below last year’s levels, registering 24% lower in November, 31% lower in December and 32% lower in week 1 of this year. The situation was very similar for prices of Mexican blueberries in the same size format.
14/01/2019
