The access of fresh blueberries to new markets through the lifting of sanitary barriers helps increase their exports. According to the Association of Exporters (ADEX), blueberry exports between January and September amounted to slightly more than US $123 million, i.e. 30.7% more than in the same period of 2016.
The manager of Agricultural exports at ADEX, Paula Carrion Tello, highlighted the importance of the work done by the National Agrarian Health Service (SENASA), which helped achieve the entry of blueberries to China and Brazil this year.
She also spoke about the results of exports to China after the signing of the respective protocol at the end of last year. "They started entering China in January and February of this year, although in small amounts. In July, we started shipping uninterruptedly, which allowed us to achieve a little more than US $20 million up to September. China positioned itself as the third most important market for that fruit," she said.
Brazil, another country to which Peru can now export blueberries (the phytosanitary requirements for export were approved last April), ranked tenth with US $174,581.
Peru exported its blueberries to 28 markets. Its main market was the United States (US $46,569,000), which despite having presented a contraction of -19.5% concentrated 38% of the total. It was followed by the Netherlands (US $28,642,000), China, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Canada. Peru entered this last market in 2015, after Senasa lifted sanitary barriers.
The markets that stand out for their growth are Hong Kong (which ranked fifth) with 292.7%, Spain (ranked seventh) with 178%, Italy (ranked 17th) with 116.8%, Thailand (ranked ninth) with 71.4%, and the Netherlands (ranked second) with 62%.
Carrion Tello said the exporters trusted that the sanitary barriers for blueberries in Chile would be lifted soon. "That country is the biggest exporter in the world, with more than 100,000 tons per year," she said. She also stated that Senasa was working to achieve the lifting of sanitary barriers for blueberry in South Korea, Japan, India, and Taiwan, which would help consolidate the presence of that Peruvian berry in the world. Finally, she said that blueberries accounted for 3.5% of the country's agricultural export offer with added value, ranking sixth after avocados, fresh asparagus, grapes, preparations for feeding animals, and fresh mangoes.
Source: gestion.pe