Chile exported a record 118,225 tonnes of blueberries in 2020/21, an increase of 8.2 per cent on last season and 6 per cent more than the original forecast of 11,500 tonnes.
The 117 tonnes dispatched in week 11 marked the end of the 2020/21 season in Chile.
The higher volume was due to an increase in planted area, the replacement of old plants with newer, more productive varieties and the introduction of the Systems Approach for exports from the ñuble and Biobío regions, which enabled more fruit to be exported fresh rather than frozen.
This week Peru also reported record blueberry shipments for 2020, confirming its position as the world’s leading blueberry exporter.
The value of shipments reached US$1.02bn last year, an increase of 23.4 per cent on 2019, according to trade agency Adex.
“From August to November we have an advantage, because the US and Canada do not harvest because it is winter, and in the case of Chile and Mexico they do not start their campaigns,” said Adex’s Lizbeth Pumasunco.
The main exporting regions were La Libertad (57 per cent), Lambayeque (20 per cent) and Lima (12 per cent).
