According to the general manager of Proarándanos, Luis Miguel Vega, Peruvian blueberry exports up until week 38 (as of September 24) have fallen by 52% over the same date of the 2022/2023 campaign, totaling 56,351 tons. "El Niño has had a significant impact on blueberry exports to all destinations in this campaign," he added.
Specifically, shipments to the United States decreased by 65%; exports to Europe fell by 54%; to China by 38%, and to the UK by 31%.
The higher temperature levels generated by El Niño -about 5 degrees above average- had an impact on blueberry production, Vega said. According to him, some varieties have not been significantly affected and have continued to produce at a good pace, but others have delayed their production or have had minimal production because the plants have not had the cold hours they need for their development.
"The Ventura variety in particular has been especially affected by El Niño. Ventura's production has fallen considerably. Since it is the most common variety in Peru, this has affected the country's total production volumes in terms of caliber and qualities," he stated.
"What's certain is that, up until the end of October, we'll have 40% to 50% less product than in last year's campaign and that there should be a recovery in the following months, but we don't know to what extent that recovery will amount to. We project that we'll close the year with lower production than last year, but the weather of the coming months will determine how low," he said.
It's worth noting that, according to the latest report of the Multisectoral Commission in charge of the National Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Enfen), the probability of having a strong magnitude coastal El Niño during summer (December 2023 - March 2024) rose from 25% to 35%.
Source: gestion.pe