"Chile: "The presence of our blueberries is starting to be felt"

The Chilean blueberry campaign began early. The first shipments were made in late August, almost a month earlier than in past years and much earlier than in the previous season, when the harvest was delayed because of climate change. Andres Armstrong, of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, stated that they expected there would be a 3% increase in production and that Chile would export more than 94,000 tons of fresh blueberries.

"The frost of a few weeks ago affected some productive areas, but we don't expect to have major losses. Additionally, the rains in recent weeks may slow the harvest down a little, but so far we don't expect to have any losses. We think there will be an average of 3-4 days delay in shipments. Our growth projections take into account historical climatic factors, and so far there have been no major changes in our final estimate," said Armstrong.

"The campaign has started with the early varieties and the meteorological conditions have favored the anticipated start of production, mainly for the Asian market, to which we usually send most of the first shipments of the season. However, this year, the US demand will begin to have a greater presence in this early part of our season, when compared to previous years. Chile will have it's peak volume between late November and late February," he said.

For more information:

Andrés Armstrong
Chilean Blueberry Committee
T: + 56 224724783
E: aarmstong@asoex.cl
www.chileanblueberrycommitte.com