Uruguay: Small delay in start of blueberry season

“It's been a very cold winter, which is good for the productivity of the plants. I expect we will be a bit on the late side with the start of the blueberry season. We will start with the Snowchaser variety, which probably has a 10 to 15 day delay. However, we still have some time to go in which a lot can change. As soon as we get warmer weather, everything will change. The hailstorm of two months ago hasn’t been a problem for most of the blueberry fields luckily. ”, starts Diego Castagnasso from Azul Sereno, Uruguay.

During his most recent trip to Europe, he noticed a shocking development in the market. “We know the weather is a factor affecting our sector much, but I also believe that scarcity of labour is an important issue. We’ve seen it and heard about it in different countries, such as the UK, Portugal, Spain and also in The Netherlands. This could be in all possible ways, not enough people to pick your fruit, not enough proficiency on the field or in the packaging stations, etc. This development is something that could be a real thing in the near future.”

Although production is growing worldwide, the demand for blueberries is still growing at a faster pace. For example, in the United States, UK, Germany, China, Spain and also India. “The difficulty is to distribute the fruit in the right way. Everyone wants to sell their volumes in the markets that give the highest prices. However, it’s a process to have the whole chain established for new markets. For example, the export from Uruguay to the United States is no problem. There are struggles with export to, for example China. As the transit is long and the fruit is very delicate. Each country needs to develop themselves to be able to receive more fruit.”

Diego explains that a few years ago in 2016, the blueberry season was difficult with very low prices. “Prices were so low that it didn't cover the costs of harvesting and production. Last year, we tried to restructure and put all things in place. We tried to get a better grip on production and the season itself. We expect this year will be different and most likely, more positive for producers and exporters.”