Chilean blueberries have performed well in the Chinese market in the 2022/23 season, especially during the run-up to the Spring Festival, since early January, and during the holiday itself.
According to data from the Chilean Blueberry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), Chile has exported 5.042 metric tons of fresh blueberries to China (including Hong Kong) as of February 14, 2023. Chilean blueberry shipments to China peaked between week 49 of 2022 and week 3 of 2023, which coincided with the celebrations marking the start of both 2023 and the Year of the Rabbit.
Due to a combination of positive factors, such as the relaxation of Covid control measures and improved logistics, Chilean blueberry shipments to China have this time been distributed more evenly throughout the season, without excessively large volumes are concentrated in a relatively short period of time. The period leading up to the Chinese New Year is the period with the highest sales of imported fruits in China. During this period, the import volume of Chilean blueberries was much higher than the combined volume of blueberries from other countries, making Chilean blueberries one of the most prominent fruits on the market.
In recent years, Chilean blueberries have done an excellent job in terms of variety development. The blueberry industry in Chile encourages growers to upgrade their plants to keep up with ever-evolving market demand. For this reason, more than 70% of Chilean blueberry exports are now of new varieties.
ASOEX estimates that Chile will have exported 98.228 metric tons of fresh blueberries by the end of the 2022/23 season. Harvesting work this season was expected to last until early February, with all shipments completed by early March.
21/02/2023
