Colombian blues still far from reaching export potential

Blueberry cultivation in Colombia has experienced one of the fastest growth rates in the fruit sector over the last decade, but it is still far from consolidating itself as a true export-oriented business, according to Camilo Lozano, vice president of Asocolblue, the association that brings together the country’s main producers.

As reported in Agronegocios, Colombia currently has approximately 1,000ha of blueberry production, mainly in Boyacá and Cundinamarca. Antioquia has around 60ha, while the remainder is distributed among other regions. Together, this yields an annual production of around 20,000 tonnes.

As recently as a decade ago, there were just 40ha planted across the whole country. In the last two years, acreage has been growing by 150-200ha a year. Planted area is expected to grow by a further 20 per cent this year.

However, Lozano warns that the pace of growth is still far from the country achieving its full potential. “Colombia could easily reach 5,000, 6,000, or even 10,000ha, but that won’t happen immediately. There’s a lack of investment, a lack of scale, and a lack of larger producers entering the market,” he told Agronegocios.

Lozano pointed out that Colombia has similar comparative advantages to Peru in terms of climate, soil, labour, logistics, and the ability to produce 52 weeks a year.

Currently, about 90 per cent of Colombian exports go to the US, while Europe is the second largest market. Asia is not yet a viable market on a regular basis due to phytosanitary restrictions and long transit times, which can exceed 30 days by ship.

According to Lozano, Colombia is far from meeting the minimum volumes for sustainable exports. “Today, we have clients requesting five containers a week, and we can’t even fill one. There are only two companies that export consistently by sea,” he said.

Meanwhile, domestic demand continues to grow and is already generating significant revenue.