Peruvian blueberry exports look set to hit US$40 million by the end of the year, and a five-fold increase in the country’s production land is planned to boost trade even further, according to Gestion.pe. 
Sierra Exportadora CEO Alfonso Velásquez reportedly said he expected farm land to go up from the current 1,000 to 5,000 hectares in the medium-term, adding there were no limits to the industry’s potential growth.
Chile, by comparison, has around 13,000 hectares of blueberry production land.
Velásquez said the U.S. was Peru’s biggest importer of the fruit, receiving 70% of exports.
He was quoted as saying China was also requesting shipments of the fruit, along with South Korea and Japan, and cited an ‘awakening’ amongst consumers for superfruits like blueberries and raspberries.
Peru’s blueberry harvest begins in September, while Chile starts later in November.
Velásquez reportedly said the country was in a good position to take advantage of the lack of global supply in October – the month of the year when few other countries harvested their crops.
He allegedly described this gap as ‘an important niche’ for Peru, saying many large companies had already placed themselves in the market around September and October to take full advantage of the situation.
08/13/2014
Fresh Fruit Portal
