The CEO of Sierra Exportadora, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta, said Peru planted approximately 4 hectares of blueberries per day and that there would be 1,500 hectares planted with blueberries at the end of this year.
In this regard, he said, they expect the country will have 2,500 hectares of blueberries in 2015 and 4,000 hectares in 2016.
"Afterwards, we'll analyse the market size for the Peruvian blueberry production. We are very cautious. We are moving slowly to avoid having an oversupply and saturating the global market with our supply," he said.
According to him, small producers and big exporting companies, such as Camposol, Talsa, and INTIPA Foods, among others, are involved in the production of blueberries.
He also noted that the regions with the greatest potential for growing blueberries in Peru were Lambayeque and La Libertad, followed by other areas that also have the conditions required for growing the fruit, such as Piura, Ancash, Lima, Arequipa, Moquegua, Cajamarca, Amazonas, Huanuco, Cerro de Pasco, Junin, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco and Puno.
"All of the Peruvian mountains have significant potential and the climatic conditions that ensure the production of strong and sweet fruit that will complement the great productions being developed in the Peruvian coast," he said.
Alfonso Velasquez said it was important the country obtained permission to enter the Asian market, so that they could move their growing production to those countries.
Data
Peruvian fresh blueberry exports between January and October amounted to US $27,327,166 and are expected to amount to $40 million by the end of the year. In 2013, shipments of this fruit totalled US $16,298,007.
In the first ten months of this year, the main export markets were the United States, with 70% of shipments, followed by Hong Kong (13%), the Netherlands (11%), United Kingdom (3 %), Spain (1%), Costa Rica (1%), and others (1%).
The main exporting companies between January and October were Camposol (17 million), Talsa (8.5 million), INTIPA Foods, Agricultural Athos, Agroinversiones Valle, and Pampa Peru.
The president of Sierra Exportadora gave these statements at the Berries and Cherries International Forum, at the Catholic University of Peru.
Source: Agraria.pe