Unfavorable weather conditions led to a shortage of blueberries in the European market

Deliveries of blueberries to Europe this year have been significantly reduced. Exports from Chile ended earlier than usual due to the intense heat in that country. At the same time, in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, due to the cold weather, the ripening of the berry, on the contrary, is very late compared to the usual time. The deficit arose in February. It has been colder than normal for this time of year in Morocco for several weeks. In Portugal and Spain, the season also started later. This caused a shortage of berries in retail chains. In addition, shipments from Chile have already stopped as the season ended early due to the heat. Chilean producers chose to export only the highest quality berries, which led to higher prices. At the beginning of March, the cost of Portuguese blueberries was between 10 and 11 euros per kilo, and high prices held back sales. Several ...