Grower and exporter XB Extraberries will bring its first harvest of Argentinean blueberries to the UK this year. The company, which began to grow the berry in Argentina in 2007, has forecast a production of 100 tonnes as of September, which will be exported to the US, Europe and the UK.
A new company, XB Extraberries had already brought its first production of Argentinean cherries to the market in 2007 and anticipated the future consumer demand for blueberries, especially in the UK market.
“Blueberry consumption is growing in the UK and it is, and will continue to be, a very profitable market,” said Daniel Smulovitz, brand manager at XB Extraberries, at the company’s stand at Fruit Logistica. “We have good transport links with Europe and we expect our blueberry production to increase.”
According to Carlos Stabile, project manager at XB Extraberries, Argentina has the best conditions for growing blueberries, even though the fruit is not native to the country. “Blueberry production is very well suited to the land and we are the first country in the southern hemisphere to harvest; we export just as the Polish production is finishing in September,” he told FPJ. “When our plants have matured in 2012, we hope to reach a production of 2,800t.”
