Peru has consolidated its position as the world’s leading exporter of blueberries, with record sales to major global markets totaling more than $2.27 billion by the end of the 2024-25 season, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI).
The campaign will extend until April of this year.
Peru ended last year with extraordinary production and export figures, although the campaign continues until April 2025. In this regard, at the end of 2024, an export volume of 326,000 tons was recorded, 57 percent higher than that recorded in 2023.
Furthermore, MIDAGRI reported that the record sales reflect the fact that more than 11 percent of exports were organic and are aimed at covering a significant international market segment.
In 2024, Peru has consolidated its position as the world’s leading exporter of this fruit. Likewise, in 2023, despite a decrease in its export volume and that of other suppliers such as Mexico and Colombia, this lower exportable supply impacted the rise in international prices, favoring a 23 percent increase in the value of Peruvian exports compared to 2022.
Average blueberry prices rose from $4.60/kilogram in 2022 to over $8.50/kilogram in the second half of 2023, and rose above $8.90/kilogram in January 2024, reaching an average of $8.50/kilogram by the end of that year.
The sector reported that, unless climate phenomena such as high temperatures, torrential rains, or water shortages affect blueberry cultivation in the country, Peru’s export volume this year could exceed 350,000 tons.
Peru is able to supply blueberries outside the peak season experienced by other nations such as Chile and the U.S., which have shorter harvest periods. The conditions on the Peruvian coast and mountains allow for a continuous harvest year-round.
This consistent supply of a quality product has made our country the main supplier of fresh blueberries to key markets such as the U.S., which is the largest importer, and China has substantially increased its demand.
The majority of blueberry exports in 2024 were directed to the U.S. market (55 percent on average), 21 percent to the Netherlands, and 9 percent to Hong Kong, whose three markets accounted for 85 percent of total exports worldwide.
Furthermore, a gradual increase in blueberry exports to India, Russia, Taiwan, Singapore, Belgium, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, among other important markets with high purchasing power, is estimated.
