The 2023-2024 Peruvian blueberry campaign hasn’t measured up to the prior year so far.
Through July, Peru has exported 10,000 tons of blueberries, which represents a 25 percent decrease compared to the same period in the previous campaign, as reported by infoMercado, using figures from Proarandanos.
Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Proarandanos, explained that this drop was due to a lower production of blueberries due to El Niño phenomenon, which causes high temperatures.
It had been projected that during the 2023-2024 campaign, which began in May and ends in April 2024, the amount of exports would show a drop, especially in its key period.
“A month ago, we made a projection, and what we saw is that the volume could fall in this campaign between 10 percent and 15 percent. This figure needs to be updated,” Vegas said.
In addition, one of the most affected varieties is Ventura, which is planted on 6,000 hectares. This represents about 35 percent of blueberry exports in Peru. The Ventura and the Biloxi variety have 60 percent of the planted area in the country.
“Ventura is the most planted variety in Peru. So by coming late in its production, an impact on the export volume is evident,” said Vegas.
The 2023-2024 Peruvian blueberry campaign hasn’t measured up to the prior year so far.
Through July, Peru has exported 10,000 tons of blueberries, which represents a 25 percent decrease compared to the same period in the previous campaign, as reported by infoMercado, using figures from Proarandanos.
Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Proarandanos, explained that this drop was due to a lower production of blueberries due to El Niño phenomenon, which causes high temperatures.
It had been projected that during the 2023-2024 campaign, which began in May and ends in April 2024, the amount of exports would show a drop, especially in its key period.
“A month ago, we made a projection, and what we saw is that the volume could fall in this campaign between 10 percent and 15 percent. This figure needs to be updated,” Vegas said.
In addition, one of the most affected varieties is Ventura, which is planted on 6,000 hectares. This represents about 35 percent of blueberry exports in Peru. The Ventura and the Biloxi variety have 60 percent of the planted area in the country.
“Ventura is the most planted variety in Peru. So by coming late in its production, an impact on the export volume is evident,” said Vegas.
Marco Campos is Media Coordinator, Latin America for Blue Book Services
