W11: Weekly Berry Update
Blueberry
Chile: Chilean Fruit Exports Increased in January and February 2023 (Mar 18)
In January and February, Chilean fruit exports experienced a significant increase in volume and value. According to the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa), cherries topped the list with shipments of 300,230 tonnes, equivalent to USD 1.543B FOB, representing 68% of the total value of fresh fruit exports during January-February. The main buyers of Chilean cherries were China, which received 89% of the total export value, followed by blueberries, which recorded shipments of 67,600 tonnes with USD 314M FOB, and table grapes, which had 108,890 tonnes with a value of USD 166.58M FOB.
Overall, the total fruit exports from the country reached 738K tonnes with a value of USD 2.547B FOB from January to February 2023, an increase of 14.3% in exported volume and 7.3% in value compared to the same period in 2022. The majority of these exports were fresh fruit, with a total of 634.8K tonnes, equivalent to USD 2.261B FOB, and recording an increase in the volume of 17.3% and value of 4.6% compared to 2022 figures.
Italy: The Global Crisis Pushes Italian Large-Scale Retail Prices to +12.9% (Mar 14)
In Italy, due to the global shortage of blueberries, with Chile and Peru now out of the markets and Spain and Morocco not yet fully operational, W11 saw a double-digit jump in the blueberry price index, with an increase of 12.9%.
Maldives: Peruvian Blueberry Has No Limits and Reaches the Maldives (Mar 13)
The Peruvian blue gold first arrived in the Maldives during the fifth week of the 2022/2023 season. The director of the Association of Blueberry Producers of Peru (Proarándanos) pointed out that the first shipment of Peruvian blueberries to the Malvinas Islands was dispatched by air and was 383kg.
According to the results of 2022, Morocco came out in fourth place in the ranking of the largest exporters of fresh cultivated blueberries. Exporters from Morocco sold 53K tons of fresh blueberries abroad last year, and only three countries in the world managed to exceed this figure. Peru with 277K tons, Chile with 105K tons, and Spain with 87K tons.
Peru: Transit Time for Peruvian Blueberries to Their Destinations Improved; Only a Small Fraction Have Recurring Quality Problems (Mar 14)
The current blueberry season has shown an improvement in terms of transit times to destination, with an improvement in its transit to the United States from 28 days last season to 25 days in the current season; while in Europe, it went from 29.5 days to 29 days and in Asia from 50 days to 46 days.
Peru: Blueberry Plantations Grow 11% In 2022 (Mar 17)
In 2022, Peru registered an increase in the cultivated area of blueberries of 11.13%, going from 16,290.58 hectares registered in 2021 to 18,103.37 hectares in 2022, with close to 20K hectares projected by the end of 2023, according to the National Agrarian Health Service (Senasa).
Peru: Exports of Fresh Blueberries for 2022/23 Campaign (Mar 17)
At the close of this 2022/23 campaign (at the end of March), it is estimated that fresh blueberry shipments would total around 280K tons for more than USD 1.4B, which would mean an increase of 28% in volume and 7.8 % in value compared to the 219K kilos for USD 1.29B registered in the entire previous 2021/22 campaign.
Raspberry
Morocco: Raspberry Exports of Morocco to the EU Are Booming (Mar 16)
Morocco recorded a sharp increase in its frozen raspberry exports to the European Union, increasing from 3.6K tonnes in 2020 to 16.7K tonnes in 2022, a fourfold increase in just two years. Exports of ripe and fresh raspberries have also increased, reaching volumes of 56.2K tons in 2022, after a 36% increase in 2021.
Strawberry
Japan: Growers Start Harvesting White Strawberries in Southwest Japan (Mar 13)
Growers in southwestern Japan are harvesting a strawberry variety that comes in white. Five farms in Karatsu City in Saga Prefecture grow the prized fruit. Big sizes can sometimes fetch more than USD 5.36 (JPY 700) a piece.
Morocco: Fewer Strawberries in Morocco Due to Cold (Mar 16)
In early 2023, prices have improved, but due to the cold spell, the strawberry harvest is forecasted to shrink by 30%, from 14.5K tons at the end of February 2022, to 10K tons this year.
Taiwan: Chilean Cherries and Japanese Strawberries Are Out of Compliance Again in Taiwan (Mar 15)
Taiwan Food and Drug Administration announced 11 non-compliant border inspection lists on March 14, 2023, including four batches of Chilean cherries tested for pesticide residues, totaling 51.7T, and two batches of strawberries from Fukuoka and Nara in Japan. A total of 729kg of pesticides exceeded the standard. Taiwan Food and Drug Administration said that this list of non-compliant items is the highest record of violations in this production season, and all of them will be returned or destroyed.
United States: Floods Strike Northern California Strawberry Fields (Mar 13)
During the weekend, a storm flooded northern California strawberry fields, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their farms, causing massive damage to strawberry fields and may put many growers and farmworkers out of business.
