In the 2022/2023 campaign, China absorbed 16% of exports during the blueberry campaign, with shipments valued at US$222 million, representing a 29% increase in the value of sales compared to the previous campaign.
Peru, the world leader in the production and export of blueberries, increased its production by 37.5% during the first quarter of 2023, mainly thanks to the expansion of cultivated areas.
Our country has also gained access to new export markets during the last season, which will allow these large volumes to be distributed more evenly and prevent markets from being overloaded and prices from falling.
Peru is also the main supplier of the largest importer of this fruit on the planet: China. According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2022 the country supplied 35,890 tonnes of 42,847 purchased by China, representing a 448% increase compared to imports from the Asian country in 2021.
In the 2022/2023 campaign, China absorbed 16% of exports during the blueberry campaign, with shipments valued at US$222 million, representing a 29% increase in the value of sales compared to the previous campaign. The price reached US$5.92 per kg, managing to be higher by 18% from the 2021/2022 campaign.
And it is that the development of blueberries from Peru to the Chinese market has certainly been rapid. In 2018, the total shipment was only 5,657 tonnes, accounting for 36.8% of the total exports. Shipments doubled in 2019 and Peru overtook Chile on the list of largest suppliers of blueberries to the Chinese market, increasing its share to 54%. And in 2022, according to a recent USDA report, shipments are set to triple compared to 2019 and come to represent 83.76% of total blueberries imported by China, where blueberry consumption is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. hopefully.
To expand their market share, blueberries from Peru reach the Chinese market earlier and earlier. The first batch of Peruvian blueberries of the 2022 season hit the shelves of major high-end retail platforms in July. Due to the early arrival of Peruvian blueberries and the large-scale launch of domestic blueberries during the same period, the market share of Canadian blueberries has decreased. In fact, as of 2020, Canadian blueberries barely had a market presence.
