As Argentina’s 2015 blueberry campaign draws to a close, exports are expected to reach approximately 14,000 tonnes– 16 per cent fall on last season’s 16,232 tonne total.
The last airflown consignment of the current season departed from Tucumán on 22 November with 70 tonnes of blueberries destined for the US market.
The Argentine Blueberry Committee (ABC) said the fall in exports was due to the effect of cold and wet weather during the spring brought on by El Niño.
The US is Argentina’s biggest market, taking 9,200 tonnes this season. It is followed by Europe (4,100 tonnes), and Canada (500 tonnes).
The industry is working intensively on secure access to new markets and negotiations to establish an import protocol with China are at an advanced stage.
Last week, Argentina’s National Institute of Technology for Agriculture and Fisheries (INTA) signed a cooperation agreement with the Science Academy of Shandong in which both parties have agreed to strengthen cooperation on research and trade as well as to promote mutual investments in their respective agricultural sectors.
