Plant breeder Inka’s Berries is set to become a major force in Peru’s burgeoning blueberry industry after announcing plans to open its first farm in 2014. General manager Carlos Gereda says 50ha will be planted initially, with acreage forecast to rise to 3,000ha by 2018 and 5,000ha in 2021. This would make the company the biggest stakeholder in an industry where total planted area has still not broken the 1,000ha barrier.
Gereda says purchases of rootstock have soared on the back of continued strong demand amongst Northern Hemisphere consumers. By next year he expects the company to be selling 3m plants every six to eight months, meaning the nursery would be operating at full capacity. “The main variety we produce is Biloxi as we have found it to be the best suited to cultivation in coastal zones,” says Gereda. “It can reach yields of 1kg per plant in the first year, rising to 3kg in its fourth harvest.”
According to Gereda, it is now planning a move into cherry and blackberry breeding in response to a surge of interest from local growers. “Both crops have the potential to do well – cherries in the Andean mountains and valleys and blackberries in coastal regions,” he says.
