Last year, blueberries were expected to become Chile's highest valued export fruit in the short term. However, the current situation is different and local producers are concerned.
Climatic factors have, once again, influenced negatively the crop this season. The high temperatures in spring, a period in which the country normally starts exporting low volumes of blueberries, accelerated shipments of the fruit and generated negative consequences.
The president of the Association of Fruit Exporters (Asoex), Ronald Bown, said that "the industry didn't foresee the real dimension of this season's advancement and, therefore, failed to alert the markets and the distribution chain so that they could make the necessary adjustments in promotional materials."
The union leader said the early arrival of high volumes to the United States, a market which takes about two-thirds of Chilean blueberry exports, took place at a time when Peru and Mexico were in full production.
Chile didn't have the conditions to promote and sell an adequate volume of blueberries. Peak exports usually occurs later and the promotional activities, which are then functioning normally, allow them to move the fruit faster.
Bitter season
"This increase in supply led to a significant drop in prices and in the speed with which the fruit was sold," said Bown. "We estimate that it was a negative season. The season's most important issue was the considerable drop in prices obtained in the US, which wasn't adequately offset by the increase in volume," he said.
There were reasons to celebrate, but they vanished as a result of the price decrease. In the current season, Chile managed to export more than 100 thousand tons of blueberries for the first time and, so far, it has exported a record 102,771 tons, i.e. 12.4% more than in the previous year. The country could even achieve exports of 103,500 tons by the end of this season.
Prices decrease
According to data from the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (PASO) of the Ministry of Agriculture, blueberry sale prices abroad have suffered a sharp drop in the current season. In the US, a market that accounts for 63% of this product's shipments, the average selling price stood at US $9.1 per kilo, i.e. almost 20% less than the US $11.3 per kilo average price achieved in the last season. The UK and the Netherlands, the two most important destinations in Europe, also showed a drop in price. In the UK, average prices fell by more than 8% going from $6.82 per kilo, achieved in the 2015-2016 season, to US $6.52 per kilo in the current season.
In the Netherlands, the third biggest target market by volume, prices decreased by 10.7%, as they went from US $4.46 per kilo in the 2015- 2016 season, to US $ 3.98 per kilo this season.
According to Odepa, Chile has 15,998 hectares planted with blueberries. The commercial area has increased by 77% over the last ten years.
The average selling price in the US market, which accounts for almost two thirds of Chilean blueberry exports, dropped by 19.1%.
According to Asoex, shipments to China grew by 120% in volume, while the price increased by 10.71% and reached US $6.91 per kilo this season.
Peru exported 26,500 tons of blueberries in the previous season, nearly 25% of what Chile exported.
Source: SimFRUIT according to E & N