Last season, Chile's blueberry industry exported a record of more than 110 thousand tons to the different markets of the world, which allowed the country to consolidate its position as the main exporter of this fruit worldwide.
Consolidating one's position as a leader includes more than just shipping large volumes. Some of the key challenges that the Chilean blueberry industry will face to projecting itself into the future include the fruit's quality, a greater number of competitors, the incorporation of new varieties, and the perception of the clients at destination.
In this context, ASOEX, together with the Blueberry Committee, are inviting producers to participate in the ASOEX Regional Fruit Cycles: Blueberry Debates, which will take place on August 21 in Talca and on August 23rd in Temuco.
"We are inviting everybody to participate in this event. The idea of the Blueberry Debate is to promote and facilitate the participation of the people that want to discuss about the future of the Chilean blueberry, which will be facing some threats in the future. We believe that this is the perfect moment to get to know and analyze these threats in greater depth, as well as to discuss the current experience of the people who receive our fruit in the destination markets," said Andres Armstrong, the Executive Director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee -ASOEX.
Armstrong also said they had decided to name the event The Blueberry Debate to motivate people to voice their concerns in it, making these cycles more interactive, where the attendees actively participate in them. "It was a way to invite people more directly. Our goal is that they feel welcome to interact and have a dialogue."
The event will be divided into two panels. The first one will focus on key and technical issues, such as the fruit's quality. The second one, will allow participants to imagine the industry in the long term, taking into account the changes that are taking place in the global scenario for this fruit, where Chile, as a provider in the counter season, has played a leading role in the development of global consumption. This includes the need for Chile to review its strategy to face the entry of new competitors, new varieties, and an increasingly narrow window.
"Today, there are new competitors, which, supported by new varieties, are producing this fruit in areas where traditionally it was not possible to do so. If one looks at the world production of blueberries, we can see that it has moved from the areas closest to the poles to areas closer to the Equator. This means that there is a more stable offer throughout the year, with more stable sales formats and prices," he said.
According to Armstrong, the event will be attended by two international experts: John Gray, the Commercial Director of Angus Soft Fruits of Europe, and Jose Diaz, the Sourcing Manager of Walmart USA. "This will allow us to analyze and discuss how the Chilean blueberry is received in the European and American markets, which will let us achieve a better understanding of how they see our fruit and what they expect or require from it."
Source: SimFRUIT