Alejandro Pannunzio, the President of the Association of Blueberry Producers of Mesopotamia Argentina (Apama), stated at a technical day that the entity organized in Concordia (Entre Ríos) a few days ago that, even though the area dedicated to the cultivation of blueberries in the world has doubled in the last eight years, in Argentina the area devoted to this crop has decreased by 57% in that period, going from 4,700 to 2,700 hectares of production.
Of the 2,700 hectares planted in the country, there are 1,100 hectares that are concentrated near Concordia, where the highest yields are achieved, 1,400 hectares in Tucuman, and the rest are distributed between Buenos Aires, where planting began in the country, and Corrientes.
Pannunzio stressed that the sector's main challenge was competing with Chile and Peru, two countries that have been growing at the pace of world demand. 90% of the 17 million kilos produced each year in Argentina are exported to the United States, England, Germany, and Israel, among other destinations. At the end of last year, Argentina took an important step in opening new markets for its blueberries as it sent its first shipment of blueberries to China, a strategic market for its scale (in 2017, for example, they imported about 10,000 tons of fresh blueberries).
In Concordia, the referents of the sector said that, in order for this crop to develop, the sector urgently needs measures to accompany the investment made by producers. They also demanded the elimination of withholdings, an increase in export refunds, sustainable health plans, as well as credits for investment with fees and deadlines according to production. In addition, they requested that Senasa take control and carry out aerial spraying to control the fruit fly, a pest that represents a risk for exports.
Framed in another productive and economic scenario, Pannunzio said that Argentine fruit production could have doubled exports from 1.5 million tons to 3 million tons. In 2018, however, the country only sold 850,000 tons abroad.
According to data from Apama, the blueberry chain employs about 20,000 people in the country and generates about 110 million dollars in exports. Starting this agribusiness requires an investment of nearly 50,000 dollars per hectare.
Source: clarin.com
