A bruising start gives way to cautious optimism for Northern Hemisphere blueberry growers

Blueberry season is well underway in most of the Northern Hemisphere, with various challenges reported from California to the Caucasus. Despite these difficulties, the season is progressing, albeit slower than many had hoped, and growers remain optimistic for a strong finish.

A Difficult Start

Low temperatures struck Spain first, before the most dramatic drops hit Eastern Europe.

“Extremely adverse weather has been our primary challenge,” said Mamen Mingorance, Technical Director at Freshuelva, a leading berry industry association in southwest Spain. “A succession of storm systems accompanied by strong caused significant structural damage to macrotunnels on some farms, and the resulting plant stress meant the season got off to a weak and somewhat delayed start.”

The same storm systems also swept through Morocco, with producers in the northern growing regions experiencing the heaviest losses.

“As an industry, I expect we’ll see more than a 20 percent reduction in export volumes from the north. Based on the damage I’ve seen at some sites, losses could exceed 50 percent in certain individual cases,” said Greg Murdoch, General Manager at African Blue, a premium blueberry producer in southern Morocco.

Further north and east, the biggest weather difficulty was sustained cold.

“Spring 2026 has been one of the most challenging periods for Polish highbush blueberry growers in recent years,” said Dominika Kozarzewska, CEO of Poland’s Grupa Producentów Owoców, a fruit growers association. “After a relatively warm start to the season, temperatures plummeted, bringing three distinct waves of frost to most blueberry-growing regions. The extent of the damage varied widely, depending on the plantation’s location and terrain; plant development stage, and the frost protection methods used, such as sprinkler irrigation and wind turbines.”

For its part, Ukraine faced some of the most extreme conditions. In the western growing region, frost at the start of the vegetation phase continued into flowering. However, the most severe impact hit the central region of the country, where some modern new varieties lost up to 100 percent of the crop following severe frosts and temperatures as low as -35°C.

To the southeast, frost conditions in Georgia were not as severe as previous years, but lower-than-average temperatures contributed to delayed fruit development and harvesting that was approximately two weeks behind schedule. Persistent rain added further pressure.

A severe February freeze also caused notable damage in key US growing regions in the Southeast and Northeast.

“Florida’s crop is now expected to come in around 10 million pounds, roughly half of last year. New Jersey is reporting crop losses in the range of 30 to 50 percent,” said Kasey Cronquist, President of the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC).

Where Things Stand Now

Across most growing regions, the mood heading into the main harvest window is one of cautious confidence.

“As the season progresses, the weather outlook is encouraging, with drier conditions expected during the main harvesting period,” said Shota Tsukoshvili, CEO of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association. “National production is expected to exceed 10,000 tons this season, marking another important step in the sector’s development.”

Poland is also recovering, with the 2026 harvest expected to match last year’s output and the commercial season on track for a mid-July start (week 28).

Ukraine’s season is tracking close to early projections with growers looking ahead to the main harvest in the coming weeks.

Despite the difficulties on US farms, some states are projecting growth. Washington state’s crop estimate for 2026 has topped 200 million pounds, and Michigan growers have projected a 9 million pound increase against last year’s totals.

Pressure Beyond the Weather

Scirothrips aurantii, an invasive thrips species, is causing significant damage to crops in Huelva, the heart of Spain’s blueberry production region. This problem is compounded by a lack of phytosanitary tools to combat the pest. Growers have responded with a shift toward biological controls, including predators and parasitoids.

Geopolitical instability is reaching farms across the region. In Ukraine, Russia’s ongoing invasion continues to disrupt logistics and drive up operating costs.

“Rising fuel prices have increased transportation costs, while regional flight restrictions have extended some delivery routes, particularly to destinations such as Dubai and other Middle Eastern markets,” said Tsukoshvili.

In Ukraine, the labor shortage has reached crisis levels with more than 11 million people having fled since the initial invasion in February 2022.

“Some companies are arranging routes up to 100 kilometers from the plantation for the people from bigger cities. No people, no harvest,” said Alex Pukshyn of Blue Berry LLC.

Global Markets

Georgia’s harvest calendar creates a natural window in its most important European markets.

“In many southern European producing regions, volumes begin to decline when Georgia enters the market, while northern European production is only starting as the country Georgia approaches the end of its season,” Tsukoshvili explained. “This creates a complementary supply window rather than direct competition and allows Georgian fruit to enter the market during an attractive commercial period.”

Another plus for Georgia and other growers in the region is the active pursuit of markets, primarily in Asia.

“The most receptive markets this year are CIS countries (former Soviet Republics), the EU, the Middle East, and increasingly India. We also see growing interest from Israel, South Korea and other nearby markets,” Tsukoshvili said.

Polish growers are targeting similar opportunities. “The recent opening of the Indian market has raised hopes for further export growth, while Southeast Asia also shows great potential as its markets continue to open up,” Kozarzewska said.

The US market also presents strong demand for the season. According to Cronquist, in 2025, fresh blueberry sales reached $3.4 billion, reflecting nearly 7 percent volume growth and a fourth consecutive year of gains. This also lifted blueberries to fifth place among the most popular fresh fruits in the US, up from sixth the previous year.

Looking Ahead

So far, the 2026 season has tested the industry on multiple and often unpredictable fronts. For Pukshyn, matching last year’s output would count as a genuine success.

“If we repeat last year’s numbers, it will be a good result for all of our industry,” Pukshyn said.

In North America, growers are heading into the second half of the season with similar confidence.

“The outlook is genuinely optimistic: the category is healthy at home, and demand for US blueberries is expanding abroad,” Cronquist said.

However, across the industry, increased volume is not the only measure of a successful season.

“The sector continues to grow rapidly, but the priority today is not only more hectares and larger volumes,” Tsukoshvili said. “The focus is increasingly on professionalism, quality, certification, post-harvest systems, logistics, and building long-term buyer confidence.”

Original by IBO Team