Strong demand on international markets is fuelling an expansion in blueberry and strawberry acreage in Peru. According to a report in La Republica, exports reached US$10m in 2013 compared with just US$400,000 the previous year.
Blueberry acreage is projected to rise from a current 283ha to 1,600ha by the end of 2014 and 4,000ha by 2018. Strawberry production, meanwhile, covers an area of 1,500ha. Much of the growth will come from Camposol, which last month announced an ambitious US$100m investment plan that would take the company’s blueberry acreage to 2,000ha by 2016.
“Berries, principally blueberries, have high prospects for growth in the international market, due to their nutritional characteristics, as they contain a good amount of antioxidants, which is why they’re called superfruits,” said Alfonso Velasquez of government trade body Sierra Exportadora.
The main destinations for Peruvian blueberries are the US (US$3.8m), Hong Kong (US$1.7m), the Netherlands (US$1.6m) and the UK (US$961,000). Smaller quantities are also shipped to Belgium, Spain and other countries.
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