The 2014/15 Chilean blueberry deal has kicked off and exporters are optimistic about the volume and quality of this season’s harvest.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee (CBC) said small quantities of airflown blueberries have been sent during the past month and the expectation is that the harvest could be somewhat earlier than last season.
“A first peak of around 5,000 tonnes is projected for week 48. This implies that the fruit would be arriving to markets in week 51,” CBC said.
The organisation is forecasting a total volume of between 96,000 and 104,000 tonnes, representing a 40 per cent increase on last season and 20 per cent more than in 2012/13.
“The most important issue this season centres on the potential increase in export volumes as compared to last season, which was hobbled by the tremendous freeze that occurred in September 2013,” CBC said.
“It would certainly be a challenge to export 40 per cent more fruit than was exported last season. But it is not impossible, keeping in mind that this would be just 20 per cent more than was exported in the 2012/2013 season and would be in line with the growth curve of recent years.”
Growers face a number of challenges this year, not least having to fine-tune maturation to ensure that fruit is able to withstand the fumigation process required for entry into the US. The greater volume will also require a push into new markets, with all the stops being pulled out at peak harvest time to ensure that the fruit is properly marketed.
“Importers and their sales teams will have to carry a greater load, too, connecting better to their markets and carefully managing the expectations of both the exporters and the buyers in an effort to avoid the ‘easy way out’ of simply lowering prices,” CBC said.
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