"New varieties needed for blackberry cultivation"
"Our largest market is the US," says Freddy Hoflack of Harvest 52 during the Global Berry Cingress. This market is worth 76% of the export. A harvest of 5,823 tonnes is expected for the coming season. The main export markets, besides the US, are the EU, United Kingdom, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. He also sees potential in the Asian markets, more specifically Japan, China, India and South Korea.
Freddy Hoflack van Harvest 52.
There is a lot of investment in the cultivation in the region of Jalisco in Mexico. There is more land available there and the infrastructure is also better developed, says Freddy. "Over the coming years the cultivation there will continue to grow." The yield is an average of 12,000 kilo per hectare per year. The Mexican blackberry cultivation has two harvest per year. The first peak harvest is in April. After a dip in the summer months the available volume rises to a second peak in October and November.
Freddy sees a few challenges in the future. "An oversupply can put the prices under pressure, which is why diversification is important," as Freddy describes one of the challenges. There are also few new varieties available. "That's the biggest challenge." Freddy advocates for innovations in the area of varieties. On the global market the independence of the American market and the unpredictability of the policies of president Trump are a challenge. If President Trump overhauls the NAFTA trade agreement, this could have consequences for Mexico.
More information:
Harvest 52
Freddy Hoflack
México
T: +52 33 1655 8199
E: [email protected]
www.h52.mx
