Peruvian blueberries find US market profitable while looking to displace Chile as the region’s top exporter.
Peru has become an important blueberry exporter for the world market. The US Department of Commerce informs that Peruvian exports of the fruit grew by nearly 500% over the last 5 years, according to Fresh Plaza.
Although Chile continues to dominate the US market with over 40% of the total share, Peru has staked out their niche in a number of key states: California, Florida, and (surprisingly) Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania, although only receiving 7% of total blueberry imports, is a key state for Peru in that it imports 27% of Peru’s blueberry sales in the US market.
Finally, Peruvian blueberries have an important advantage over their Chilean counterparts: they can grow year round. This allows producers to take advantage of the peak times to export when demand opens up.
Fresh Plaza also reports that Federico Beltran, general manager of Terra Business, stated that Peru will become the principal exporter of blueberries in the world’s Southern Hemisphere. However, Julia Gamarra, an engineer, affirms that Peruvian companies in the blueberry industry must work towards investing more in research and development. This is likely a key factor if Peru hopes to supplant Chile’s position in the market.
Interestingly enough, Peru continues to advance toward bringing their blueberries into the Chilean market.
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