Argentina’s blueberry suppliers will soon have an extra marketing tool at their disposal under plans by the Argentinean Blueberry Committee (ABC) to develop a new quality seal, Eurofruit has learned.
Inés Peláez, manager of the ABC, said work on the project has just got underway and the label could by ready by 2014.
From this year, the commission will also count all of the country’s main producer associations as members.
By fostering further unity amongst producers Peláez believes that the industry will improve its competitiveness – one of the main barriers she sees to future export growth.
“The exchange rate has really eaten into the profitability of sector and means we have to dig even deeper in terms of keeping control of costs and finding greater efficiencies,” she told Eurofruit.
The 2012/13 season as broadly a good one for Argentina's blueberry industry, despite early frosts and heavy rainfall threatening to derail exports at the outset.
In total, 15,069 tonnes of blueberries were sold overseas, with Europe accounting for around 30 per cent of this total.
The full report will be published in the September issue of Eurofruit.
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