US blueberry market: Quality has become a crucial element
January 30, 2020

"We are in the middle of the Chilean season at the moment," said Luciano Fiszman, of Gourmet Trading Co., in Redondo Beach, California, who points out that while the north central zone of Chile has finished production, the southern zone is in March. “We expect an adequate volume. But this year the weather has been hard for the south and north central, which will present challenges for the south. It is still unclear how much volume Chile will see at the end of its season. ”

After a challenging December month, the supply and demand of blueberries in North America is stabilizing again.  At this time, most of the blueberries in North America come from Chile. But some smaller volumes are also arriving from Peru, which is finishing its production, and Mexico. In addition there is a small amount of California.

Unusual year-end: low prices in December
This campaign the market has had more pressure. The market was largely dominated by Peru from September to December, and prices in December were lower than in previous years. "At the end of the year, the market saw very low prices," Fiszman added, noting that the values ​​were below the break-even point for the producers and had a direct impact on the supply.

This, according to the professional, because in the North American market a new scenario for the blueberry is being configured. He explained that there was a time when only Chile and Argentina could get an overseas agreement for the supply of blueberries, while now Peru and Mexico also contribute their offer. In fact, he added, "This year Peru will produce more fresh blueberries than Chile." Therefore, the market in the autumn and winter windows has changed because there is more production from other countries. "

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30/01/2020

Freshplaza.com