Low prices for blueberries might have Australian shoppers doing a double-take and having a second look. Blueberry prices have been as low as $1.90 a punnet, or three for $5 on special, at major supermarkets in recent days. Rabobank associate analyst Pia Piggott said “fruit deflation” during summer was part, but not all, of the reason behind the drop in prices.
“In the September and December quarters, we tend to see good berry and mango harvests push down fruit prices, but this is the cheapest I’ve seen blueberries,” she said.
Some growers may also have over-catered after hail storms wiped out swaths of blueberry plants last year, according to Berries Australia executive director Rachel Mackenzie.
“There were quite significant hail storms in the Coffs Harbour region in 2021, so growers planted more as a buffer, which they didn’t necessarily need,” she said. “We had a cool winter but no frost, which tends to knock the lot out.”
Blueberry production has more than doubled in the five years to 2021 in Australia, but almost all of that produce (99 per cent) is consumed domestically.
Source: smh.com.au