The Chilean blueberry season continues to advance at a slow pace, mainly due to the drop in maximum temperatures in the cultivation areas, which has delayed the ripening of the fruit, according to the report that the Chilean Blueberry Committee published this week. Most of the fruit, especially to North America and the Far East, is still being shipped by air.
While the committee expects the export volume to be a little lower than last year, the total volumes so far are higher than in the same period last season. "We expect to export approximately 5% less than last year, because last year we produced and exported a record volume," said Andres Armstrong, the executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee.
It is difficult to have ecological statistics, Andras said. "We have never monitored the ecological offer. Until last year, we did not differentiate between the ecological and conventional production. Most of the ecological volume was exported to the United States and a little to Europe and Asia."
In general, China is growing as an export destination. Despite this, Andres said, the United States continues to be the largest market. "The greatest growth in volume last year was recorded in the exports to Europe. For example, exports to France have been growing. Russia is, once again, a good market. We continue developing markets; for example, this season we hope to do some promotions in Poland, because we think that this market also has potential," he stated.