Redes warns that the crop could once again face significant impact, as it did in 2023
Blueberries could be among the export crops most affected by El Niño in the Peruvian region of La Libertad, according to the country’s Development Studies Network (Redes). It warned that rising temperatures and heavy rains – triggered by the weather phenomenon – are expected to last until 2027.
La Libertad is by far Peru’s most important blueberry-producing and exporting region, accounting for 49 per cent of the country’s total fresh blueberry exports in 2025/26.
“Blueberry farming has boosted La Libertad’s economy since export-oriented production began. It is essential to monitor how this crop fares under current weather conditions in order to implement preventive and responsive measures,” Carlos León, an economist at Redes, told Diario Correo. “We must remember that this involves not only production losses but also the loss of jobs and the cultivated land itself.”
León said observing how blueberry crops have been affected by weather events like the El Niño phenomenon in previous years would give an indication of its impact on the current crop.
In 2023, La Libertad’s production fell to 120,000 tonnes due to adverse weather conditions. But the following year, output jumped to 181,000 tonnes and in 2025 it topped 197,000 tonnes.
“The production outlook for this season is concerning, as we are facing an El Niño phenomenon that could be as intense as – or even more intense than – the one three years ago, which would have a negative impact,” he stated.
The bulk of Peru’s blueberry crop is harvested between August and December, peaking in October. Since rainfall is expected to intensify during these final months of the year and the early months of the next, preventive and responsive measures would be necessary, León said.
