Exports of blueberries will recover in the second half of 2017 and close the year in positive, despite falling in the first half of 2017. The greater profitability obtained in that period due to higher product prices encourages exporters to concentrate their production for that period, thus continuing the dynamism expected for this market.
In the first half of 2017 the value of exports of fresh blueberries fell 42%. This is because agroexporters are perfecting their strategies: as in the first half of 2017 the price of blueberry usually falls because of a greater supply from the United States, the companies concentrated their production for the second semester. In this period, the price of blueberries can increase up to 50% compared to the first half of 2017, says Tony Salas, business development director of the consulting firm ACM Peru. The price would range between US $ 9.4 and US $ 11.5 a kilo, an advantage over other blueberry producers: "We have the possibility to decide when to produce," adds Salas.
Thus, Camposol reduced its production volume in the first half of 2017 by 65% and aims to increase it in the second half of 2017. "In the window from September to December we can take advantage of the lower global production volume, strong demand and higher prices," Camposol CEO Jorge Ramírez said in presenting the results for the second quarter of 2017. 80% to 90% of Peruvian exports of fresh blueberries are concentrated between August and November, according to Comex Peru.
In the 2017 totals, the volume of blueberries exported will increase 60%, to almost 17,000 MT, estimates Gabriel Amaro, executive director of the Association of Agrarian Producers Guilds of Peru. The increase will continue in 2018: the volume will increase 56% (25,000 MT). This is due to increased land productivity and an increase in the number of hectares planted, which is projected to grow 25% in 2017 and 20% in 2018.
"We are on a growing curve: crops sown three or four years ago are at full capacity," says Jorge Aranguri, executive director of Danper.
Source: SEMANAeconómica.com