Exports of Mexican berries (raspberries, blackberries and strawberries) reached a record value between January and May 2011.
Sendings rose by 13.4 per cent to reach some US$392.6m during five-month period, according to figures from the Bank of Mexico and reported by El Economista.
The bulk of the berry crop was sold in the US, while Europe and Asia also received a share of the volume.
Official statistics indicate that 99.9 per cent of Mexican strawberry exports were shipped to the US this year, while 91.5 per cent of raspberries and blackberries also headed to the US market.
However, a significant share of Mexico’s berry sendings to the US was then re-exported to other overseas markets.
Hurst’s México exported 3,400 tonnes of blackberries to the US during the last season, the report said.
From there, the company’s partner HBF International re-exported the fruit to Canada, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan.
Sunbelle, which supplies blackberries from Michoacán to Miami, also re-exports the fruit from the US to Japan.
