Huelva currently has about 2,000 hectares devoted to the production of blueberries. Three years ago, there was only about half of this acreage. Clearly, Huelva's growers, and specifically the berry sector, are strongly committed to a crop which has extraordinary prospects.
These optimistic forecasts are underpinned by very specific data: while the world's blueberry consumption in 1995 amounted to around 23 million kilos, in 2014 that figure stood at 563 million kilos and in 2024 it is expected to reach 1,400 million kilos.
Also, while the United States, the world's largest producer and consumer of blueberries, consumes an average of one kilo of the fruit per year, in Spain, according to statistics, the figure is reduced to just one gram per person per year (a blueberry usually weighs between 6 and 7 grams).
For Alfonso Labajos, COO of Fall Creek, a world leading North American distributor of blueberry plants, this low consumption in Spain means that "there is still huge potential in this country. From now on, consumption can only increase."
Labajos, who participated in the 22nd Agricultural Technical Conference 'Villa de Almonte', explained in a statement to agrodiariohuelva.es that "blueberries are a good complement to strawberries, which remain Huelva's major crop."
The head of Fall Creek acknowledged that, "given the wide range of varieties available in the market, it is important for producers to choose well, because the investment needed, of between 50,000 and 60,000 Euro per hectare, is not cheap, and moreover, it is for life, as it is normal for the grower to be able to keep the same plant for between ten and fifteen years, and even 20 in some cases. That is why, if you make a mistake, it can be a real disaster."
As for the best varieties of the American company that can be grown in the province of Huelva, Alfonso Labajos said that "there are about half a dozen that are suitable to the province's agronomic and climatic conditions." However, the most popular among Huelva's producers are called Ventura and Camelia. In any case, "the varietal portfolio will continue to grow and adapt it in the coming years to the needs of each area and each producer," he added.
The trend, in his words, is "for the great efforts made at genetic level to lead to the development of new varieties that produce sweeter and larger blueberries." Nevertheless, he acknowledged that 60% of the world production is intended for the processing sector, where, unlike when they are marketed fresh, no one takes the size or taste into account.
An extremely healthy superfood
The COO of Fall Creek is convinced that blueberries "still have a long way to go ahead, not only because it is a noble plant, easy to grow and to sell, but also because it is one of the few fruits that is considered a superfood or superhealthy, at the same level as olive oil. Therefore, its consumption will continue to grow and Huelva will have a chance to take an important place in the world market in the short and medium term.
However, in order to boost the blueberry production in Spain, the first step will be "to promote and popularise the fruit's consumption." Only then will it be possible to overcome one of the product's main handicaps: its high price," he stressed.
Source: agrodiariohuelva.es
