News that Chile will double its production of blueberries within five years caused a stir amongst suppliers at the Seasonal Berries workshop in London this week.
The Chilean Blueberry Committee’s Andrés Armstrong said that out of the 12,500 hectares of blueberry production in Chile, 61 per cent was not in full production, signalling a dramatic increase in volumes.
The estimated Chilean blueberry yield this season is 65,995 tonnes, which will increase to 110,000t by 2014/15, explained Armstrong. He added that he hoped the UK would continue to be the main importer of fresh Chilean blueberries.
British Summer Fruits’ Laurence Olins said: “The pack sizes in which the fruit is being sold is going down... I’m fearful that the UK won’t be able to take it. There has been research done on how much fruit consumers in the UK are eating and consumption has gone backwards. I would suggest looking aggressively for other markets.”
