“Dutch blueberry shortage will soon be filled with import”

Most of the Dutch blueberry growers have already finished their harvest. “There’s some product in cold store here and there, but the market is quickly drying up, and I expect we’ll be out of berries in a few weeks,” says Harm Valckx of Berry Packing Services from Venlo, the Netherlands. He estimates the harvest will be 40 per cent lower this year, primarily as a result of smaller sizes.

“The quality of the blueberries was good, but volumes were much lower and the season wasn’t as long. We started very early, and we managed to keep going quite well,” Harm continues. “We’ve had fairly normal price levels, but we’re now seeing sharp increases due to shortages on the market. Overseas product from Peru will now soon be imported, and from week 36, the Argentinian berries will also be available again, so these shortages will soon be filled.”