The Peruvian blueberry season has begun, with low volumes at present that are expected to peak by late September.
During this time of the year, the biggest export market focus is on Asia, with large domestic supplies still available in the U.S. and Europe.
Roberto Vargas, president of grower association ProArandanos, told FreshFruitPortal.com the season was running around two weeks late.
"Conditions have been good, but due to the colder winter than normal we are a little delayed," he said.
"Peru still doesn't have much fruit ... we still haven't even harvested 5% of the total that's going to bee produced in the 2019-20 season," he said.
Currently, projections are for a 30% year-on-year rise in exports to around 100,000-105,000 metric tons (MT).
Larger volumes of Peruvian blueberries will likely arrive in the U.S. and Europe in greater volumes in September.
There are currently less than 1,000MT of blueberries being shipped per week. But this is expected to rise to 5,000-6,000MT per week during the peak season.
"The season could last until March, complementing the Northern Hemisphere season very well," he said.
"Normally more is sent to China, but there are other markets [in Asia] that are receiving our fruit like Singapore and Thailand," he said.
The industry is expecting other Asian markets to soon open like Japan, India, Vietnam Taiwan and South Korea.
19/08/2019
