The blueberry season is well underway and, starting this week, weekly shipments will begin to fall. To date, exports of fresh blueberries to the different markets amount to approximately 74,383 tons.
By week 5, shipments of fresh blueberries from Chile have almost amounted to the total sent during the 2013/14 season, a campaign in which there was a decline in exports due to the frosts in September 2013. However, the regions III, IV and Metropolitan, where the harvest has ended, as well as the region V, which is sending its last volume, had an average drop of 34% in shipments when compared to 2013/14.
In contrast, the regions VI to X have already exceeded the total volume they shipped during the 2013/14 campaign. Within this group, the X and XIV regions stand out, as they have exported 7,228 tons to date, the highest volume of the past four seasons. This situation is mainly explained by the good weather and the lack of rain during summer, which helped produce larger volumes of fresh fruit for export. Additionally, the US, the main destination for Chilean blueberries, has been a stable market with high prices at the beginning of the season (an average of $26USD/6oz), a gradual decrease in the peak period and higher prices during week 6 ($18 USD/6oz).
Source: IQconsulting