Small and medium growers in the Peruvian Andes – the so-called Sierra or highlands – are being encouraged to invest in blueberry production on account of the profitability of the business, the guaranteed demand for the fruit and an available market window for Peru.
Sierra Exportadora, the governmental agency created in 2006 to facilitate agricultural production and exports in the poorest regions of the country, believes that Peru’s highlands have the potential to cover an available supply window between September and October, as well as a short window from mid-March to mid-April.
Demand is continuing to rise for blueberries across the globe, according to the organisation. Already, it claims that a number of importers have expressed an interest in buying blueberries from Peru, including BerryWorld in the UK, Japan’s Inabata, Special Fruit in the Netherlands and Fresh Results, which is located in the US.
In Asia, the association also cites the example of Chinese group Joyvio, which revealed at the International Blueberry Organization’s annual seminar in April 2013 that it considers Peru and Mexico as well as Oregon and British Columbia as possible blueberry providers to cover a window of demand in Asia from August to late November before Chilean blueberries come on stream.
Peru currently has 170ha planted with blueberries, up from 72ha in 2012. Sierra Exportadora president Alfonso Velásquez Tuesta predicts that figure will reach 500ha in 2013.
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