Dole investing in Chilean blueberries

Dole is investing in the blueberry segment in Chile. According to reports in Chilean media, the project involves 20 million dollars to increase efficiency and competitiveness. The past season, Dole did not achieve the results expected from Chilean blueberries. While the estimate was 800 to 1000 tonnes, Dole exported 600 tonnes.

Seeing how the volumes from Chile are relatively small, Dole decided to concentrate production in one region, because of logistical advantages. The company started in region VII (Maule) between San Javier and Parral. "Our next stage is to grow in volume, both towards the north and south of the country," Esteban Chacón, berries manager in Chile, told FreshFruitPortal. "This season we managed to have some fruit from the IX (Valdivia) region which turned out really well."

The US is the most important market for the blueberries, accounting for 67% of the fruit. Second and third come Europe and the Far East with a share of 20% and 10%, Esteban Chacón states.

Source: Terra