Peru’s blueberry industry might start future seasons one month earlier during May, after Grupo Verfrut Chile & Peru was the sole company to start exports with 376 tons during last month. They had this very early head start to the 2023-24 season in Piura, compared to the rest of the Peruvian producers, by pruning earlier says Sebastian Rodriguez, marketing manager of the company.
The Verfrut team with the first container of Peru's 2023-2024 blueberries sent to Brazil.
“It’s a bet we did, considering problems in production in our area, so we pruned earlier and we harvested earlier with a stronger plant. Our first container, full of blueberries of the best quality, left for Brazil, in what represents the beginning of our 2023-2024 campaign. We also sent our first 1,000 boxes of blueberries by air cargo to the Uruguayan market,” says Rodriguez.
They have also sent blueberries to the U.S. and UK markets “This season on the early market we are expecting around $6.00 FOB Peru/Kg. Last season we exported 2.500 tons (2.5M Kgs), this season we will go to 4.500 tons (4.5M Kgs),” says Rodriguez.
The Verfrut team with the first air freight boxes sent to Uruguay for the 2023-2024 Peruvian blueberry season.
The early start also signals that Peru’s blueberry industry is heading for another record year after starting the harvesting in Piura and they are already seeing a 9% growth in volume. Peru’s blueberry industry body ProArandanos said in a short statement Piura started its 2023-24 blueberry campaign early during the second week of May, compared to last year’s campaign that began in the second week of July, eight weeks later. Comparing shipments during the first month respectively a growth of 9% to 376 tons was registered compared to the 2022-23 campaign.
However, Rodriguez says by being so early they are meeting competition from the Northern Hemisphere who are in the peak of their season. He is also not sure if starting so early will be the new norm for Peru. “I’m not sure, it is not easy to find outlets when the Northern Hemisphere is on the peak of their harvest, but if we get the yield we expected, we may look with good eyes, starting during May, maybe mid-May onward.”
For more information:
Sebastian Rodriguez
Verfrut
Tel: +56 2 2820 0900
Email: srodriguez@verfrut.cl
www.verfrut.cl