In 2022, global blueberry production reached 1.875 million tons, with China being the main producer with 525,000 tons, contributing 28 percent of the total, according to Agraria, using data from the market research company Fluctuante.
Fluctuante also highlighted that in 2022, Peru was positioned as the second largest producer of blueberries globally with 300,000 tons (+14 percent compared to 2021), concentrating 16 percent of world production.
Peru was followed by the U.S. with 278,000 tons, Chile with 166,000 tons, Canada with 76,000 tons, Mexico with 76,000 tons, Spain with 69,000 tons, Poland with 69,000 tons, Morocco with 47,000 tons, and South Africa with 31,000 tons. These 10 countries concentrated 88 percent of world production.
In 2023, global blueberry exports reached 748,000 tons, showing a contraction of 12 percent compared to the 850,000 tons registered the previous year, due to climatic phenomena that affected the main producing countries.
In 2021, global blueberry shipments totaled 774,000 tons; in 2020 it amounted to 643,000 tons; and in 2019 it was 583,000 tons.
The main exporter of blueberries worldwide in 2023 was Peru with 207,000 tons, registering a reduction of 25 percent compared to the 276,000 tons reported the previous year. Peru concentrated 27.7 percent of the total shipped in 2023 and 32.5 percent in 2022.
Other exporting countries of this fruit in 2023 were: Chile with 83,000 tons (105,000 tons in 2022), Canada with 82,000 tons (77,000 tons), Spain with 71,000 tons (87,000 tons), the United States with 58,000 tons (54,000 tons), Mexico with 55,000 tons (47,000 tons), Morocco with 53,000 tons (53,000 tons), South Africa with 26,000 tons (27,000 tons), Poland with 26,000 tons (27,000 tons), and Hong Kong with 11,000 tons (20,000 tons).
For its part, in 2023, global imports of blueberries reached 823,000 tons, with the main importers being the U.S. with 307,000 tons (-11.5 percent versus the 347,000 tons acquired in 2022), and the Netherlands with 88,000 tons (-30.7 percent compared to 127,000 tons in 2022).; both countries represented 48 percent of total global imports.
Other top blueberry importing countries in 2023 were Germany with 65,000 tons (77,000 tons in 2022), Canada with 59,000 tons (58,000 tons), the United Kingdom with 58,000 tons (61,000 tons), Spain with 39,000 tons (43,000 tons), China with 30,000 tons (43,000 tons), Poland with 21,000 tons (25,000 tons), France with 16,000 tons (15,000 tons), and Hong Kong with 15,000 tons (26,000 tons ).
Peru is the main supplier of blueberries to the U.S., participating with 36 percent of the total imported by this country in 2023. Other suppliers in this market are Canada with 26 percent, Mexico with 24 percent, Chile with 13 percent, others 1 with percent.
Likewise, Peru is also the main producer of this berry to the European Union, concentrating 21 percent of the total imported by this market in 2023. It is followed by Spain with 18 percent, Morocco with 15 percent, the Netherlands with 8 percent, Chile with 7 percent, others with 31 percent.
