The sudden commercial boom of blueberries has led producers to try to emulate this success with other berries. One of the first berries considered to replicate this success was the raspberry. It was promoted since 2011 in places that people thought were appropriate for growing it, such as Cajamarca. In fact, several demonstration plots were installed in that city, in the lands of the Agrarian Agency of San Marcos, and the Technical Raspberry Table was formed with the participation of different institutions, such as the Provincial Municipality, the local Chamber of Commerce, and Sierra Exportadora.
However, after some years trying to get the business started in that region, it seems this was not the right place to cultivate this crop. William Daga, a specialist in fruit trees of Sierra and Selva Exportadora and head of the Peru Berries program, said he though it was a mistake to grow the raspberry crops in the mountains looking for the characteristic cold of the area.
"I had the idea of lowering the crop to the coast. This crop's production is better in the coast. It takes place twice a year, with better conditions, more yields, and the fruits are bigger and have a higher quality. As a result, Cañete, Lambayeque, Huarochirí, Lima, Barranca, and Huaral are producing raspberries with better prospects than in the mountains. I think it will work well for small producers," he said.
According to Daga, in the beginning they thought this crop needed cold weather, which wasn't completely accurate, as they didn't considered that in the southern hemisphere - where it thrives best - the plant becomes dormant in winter time; thus, in subtropical climates, such as Peru, the combination of day heat and night cold prevents the plant from developing properly.
Upon noticing this characteristic, they decided to test it on coastal lands that are 1,500 to 2,000 meters high, which provide a better temperature for the fruit.
As a result, the strategy to promote raspberry crops changed. Now, the country has approximately 80 hectares devoted to this crop and the complete production is consumed by the domestic market. However, there are two projects to export fresh raspberry to the United States and Europe throughout the year. "The other big market is the frozen market, but prices are lower. The price of fresh raspberries is spectacular, there are several companies that are going to devote themselves to produce raspberries. It's price is as good or even better than that of blueberries," he added.
"The future of this berry lies in the coast. And also in part of the mountains but only up to 2 thousand meters above sea level; above 2,200 meter the plants yield very small fruits and it takes a long time to harvest," he added.
The important thing now is to ensure the crops receive the most ecological management possible and good water quality, as well as having quality nurseries and seedlings with new varieties. Peru produces the Heritage, which occurs all year round, and the Meeker varieties, which occurs only once.
According to William Daga, another characteristic that suggests that raspberries have a promising future is that their cost per hectare is lower than that of blueberries. "It's three times cheaper than blueberry. The cultivation of raspberries costs 14 to 15 thousand dollars per hectare, while growing blueberries can cost up to 50 thousand dollars per hectare."
Source: agraria.pe