Original forecast in Concordia cut by 30-35 per cent following cold, wet spring
Blueberry production in Argentina’s Corcordia region has been impacted by the cold, wet spring. Harvesting has been delayed and growers are working to advance picking as temperatures allow.
Juan Scordia, a blueberry grower and current president of the Argentine Mesopotamia Blueberry Growers Association (Apama), told CN Digital that they are facing “a complex year due to the weather”. As a result, volumes are expected to be 30-35 per cent down on initial forecasts. This is equivalent to a loss of 1,000 tonnes.
Scordia also indicated that conditions during the flowering period affected fruit development and delayed the start of the season.
“Things have been complicated since that major storm on July 17–18,” he said, adding that some growers had lost their anti-hail netting.
In addition to weather-related challenges, Scordia noted that the logistics situation could complicate the season. Around 95 per cent of the region’s blueberries are exported by air from Ezeiza Airport, which is due to close from 20 October to 10 November for runway repairs.
This coincides with peak production, leaving exporters with no choice but to explore other, higher cost alternatives.
“We are looking at flights that might depart from Buenos Aires – using smaller planes to reach Brazil and then transferring the cargo to reach final destinations, primarily the US and, to some extent, Europe,” Scordia told CN Digital. “It is a truly complex year; we are all giving it our best shot and putting in long hours to try to make it work.”
He noted that “a lot of produce that could have been exported might have to go to the processing industry at very low prices – basically just covering harvesting costs”.
To salvage the season, Scordia said that rather than aiming for a “very intense blueberry season in October and November, as was the case initially”, some growers are trying to work across a five-month span, from July through November.
“This allows for better organisation, better domestic market supply, and avoids having the harvest work too heavily concentrated in a short period,” he said.
