Chilean blueberries: Although there will be a decrease in our supply, there is an improvement in our varietal offer

The article provides an overview of the Chilean blueberry export industry's performance and forecasts for the upcoming season at the IFPA BreakFast Seminar in Chile. Andrés Armstrong, the executive director of the Chilean Fruit Blueberry Committee, highlighted a expected 7% decrease in fresh blueberry exports to 80,501 tons, down from 117,000 tons in the 2020-2021 season, due to competition, new variety plant renovations, and logistical challenges. However, a positive note is the increase in frozen blueberry exports from 45,000 to 55,000 tons, contributing to a total export volume of 135,000 tons. Despite the volume decrease, the quality of Chilean blueberries is improving, and the United States remains a key market, with Europe also showing potential. The article also touches on the growing competition from Peru, Mexico, and Morocco, and the need for logistical efficiency to maintain Chile's market position.

At the second IFPA BreakFast Seminar of the year in Chile, held on October 22, experts and authorities in the sector reviewed the commercial vision and estimates for the Chilean blueberry season. The person in charge of reviewing the season's estimate and commenting on the state of the industry was Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Chilean Fruit Blueberry Committee, who assured that Chile is adjusting to a very competitive scenario, with new varieties of higher quality to better compete in the market. The estimate for this year indicates that Chile will export 80,501 tons of fresh blueberries, around 7% less than the previous season. "In recent seasons we have been going down at the rate of 10,000 tons exported per year fresh," said Armstrong. "We went from a maximum of 117 thousand in the 2020-2021 season and from there we have been going down," he added. However, Armstrong indicated that part of the production that has been coming out fresh has been changed to frozen. ...