"We look to open market in China for blueberry and reactivate shipments to Japan"

During her participation in the "International Seminar for Blueberry 2012", organized by Asoex, together with the Chilean Committee for Blueberry, Inés Peláez, general manager for the Blueberry Committee in Argentina, said to SimFRUIT, that as an industry they are facing a difficult period regarding production costs and planted hectares, and also on not counting with a bigger support from the Government on fruit exports. So, they are focused in developing strategies regarding varieties and new markets opening.

Inés Peláez, general manager for the Blueberry Committee in Argentina

“We are working to open the Chinese market and to open again the imports of this fruit by Japan. These points are already on the negotiations table and soon we will have news about it. The Japanese market was closed due to a bigger control by the Ministry of Agriculture of this country, which caused a step back on the fruit's import, meaning that we still have problems regarding the fruit fly, that we are now taking care. Regarding it, we are also trying a protocol like the one we have with the United States, despite being inflated and with higher costs".

Presently, Argentina counts on 1,250 hectares in Tucumán; 975 in Concordia and 600 in Buenos Aires. This last one is a province that is trying a turn to the processed fruit. Regarding it, Peláez pointed that there's a concern within the Argentinian industry of blueberry due to a decrease in the amount of planted hectares for this fruit in fresh. "Reasons for this decrease are mainly the selling price (low) and high production costs in Argentina, regarding working hands and freight, without any options to change it to maritime freight. In that sense, our costs are way higher than the ones in Chile, moreover we count on less Government support, for example, to make promotions, like in ProChile's case... Although and despite all the industry problems there is support, here and there, to some provinces to reach a bigger growth or benefits for the sector, due mainly to a Governors management, like in the case of Tucumán".

To highlight that in the case of frozen blueberries, Argentina reached in the last season, 3,700 tons, representing a growth if compared with the 3,490 tons from 2010-2011.

Source: SimFRUIT