Global Blueberry Market Updates

Published 2020년 11월 6일

As the blueberry season comes to an end in North America and Europe, production and exports from South American countries and South Africa is picking up pace. The U.S is expected to witness a fall in production as its main production region Maine is facing a drought. Chile and Peru will continue to be the top blueberry exporting countries. South Africa has also seen a fall in exports in comparison to last year due to logistic issues.

Global blueberry trends show that North and South America remain the major players in the market. The United States of America remains by far the largest producer and consumer of blueberries with potential for per capita consumption growth of both fresh and processed blueberries. South American countries like Chile and Peru have become key non-traditional exporting countries. Production is picking up pace in the European and African growing regions as these regions have untapped potential for exporting and consumption.

US: Challenging season for blueberry production

Most of the blueberry plantations are located in Maine, where the blueberry industry battled a fungal plant disease along with erratic market conditions in recent years. According to the US Drought Monitor, Maine counties that contain most of the country’s wild blueberry fields are also facing drought. A surprise frost in early June has added challenges to an already difficult season

Germany: Higher wholesale prices in the current season

Germany witnessed a scarcity of blueberries along with high production costs this season due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The overall price levels are higher in comparison to the previous season in 2019. The average wholesale prices and retail prices in the 31st week of 2020 was around 30% and 15% higher respectively compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the demand for blueberries in Germany is relatively strong amidst the price increase and suppliers remain satisfied.

Source: Italian Berry

Argentina: Blueberry season faces challenges due to COVID-19

In Mesopotamia, Argentina, beginning of the blueberry harvest season in September was marked by the need to take bio-security measures to ensure the safety of the fruit and the workers. Around mid-October, the blueberry fields accumulated between 25-30% of the expected production. The campaign is expected to peak in November when all the varieties are ready to be harvested. Due to the pandemic, the workers from the northern provinces have not been able to reach the fields and as a result of reduced labor, the harvest has been delayed. Despite such challenges, Argentina's blueberry season is currently underway. The volumes are expected to be lower than those of Peru and Mexico, which are the main suppliers at this time of year.

Chile: Continues to be an important player in the Blueberry industry

Chile is the second-largest exporter of blueberry in the world with a 16% global export share in 2019. According to the Chilean Blueberry Committee, Chile is expected to export 154K MT of fresh and frozen blueberries in MY 2020-2021, a 2% increase from the previous year.

The US continues to be the main destination market, with more than 74% of Chilean blueberry exports, but Chile has shown some good progress in diversifying its export markets. The biggest growth in recent years was seen in Asia (20%), and Europe (23%), where Chile increased penetration in various countries. In the most recent season, Chile exported blueberries to Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Arab Nations. Shipments to Asia increased by 20%, and Europe by 8%. As Chile is expected to have stable growth in exports in MY 2020-2021, this positive trend is likely to persist in both continents moving into the next season.

The race between Peru and Chile to become the top blueberry exporting country in the world

It was projected that blueberry exports from Peru will peak and surpass the exports of Chile by February 2020. Peru witnessed an increase in blueberry production by 33% in 2019 while Chile struggled with severe droughts and water shortages in the past year. Despite undisturbed production and favourable exports, Peru failed to surpass Chile’s production and export volume. Chile exported 15K MT more blueberries in comparison to Peru which is approximately 13% more blueberries.

Source: ITC Trade Map

South Africa: Highest blueberry season threatened by COVID-19

The production volume in South Africa is expected to increase significantly in the coming years as the majority of planted blueberry bushes are still young and have not reached peak production rates. Between 2016 and 2019, blueberry production increased by approximately 176%, from 4K to 11K MT. South Africa is expecting a crop of 17K MT which will most likely be exported. The air freight rates are much higher than before COVID-19 and a lack of international flights from Cape Town and Western Cape has significantly reduced exports. The exporters are in a hurry to export the blueberries before they become soft and overly ripe. South Africa witnessed a 72% fall (YoY) in exports of blueberry in the month of July 2020.

Source: ITC Trade Map

Export trends shift as temperature dips in the U.S and EU

This month marks the end of the blueberry season in Northern America (the US) and Europe (Spain, Netherlands and Poland) as winter approaches in these regions. It is expected that the offseason will continue until March 2021during which the exports from these regions will fall. Blueberries from countries in the Southern Hemisphere like Peru, Chile and South Africa are expected to take over the international market starting October. These regions have very few exports during the peak summer months unlike the countries in the Northern Hemisphere (United States of America, Spain, Netherlands and Poland). The chart below explains how blueberry exports are dominated by countries in the Northern Hemisphere between April and August (summer months) in comparison to the exports during the colder months which start in September and extend into March.