US blueberries arrive in the Chinese market

Published Jul 29, 2021

After approval from the GACC, the first US blueberries’ shipment arrives in China in July, marking a milestone for the industry. Chinese blueberry consumption has been on an upward trend, with imports growing 31% yearly in the last five years. The US will face heavy competition with Peruvian and Chilean blueberries during the overlap in the season, and because those two countries have FTAs with China whereas the US blueberry faces a 75% tariff. The US growers bet on quality to keep consumers interested.

In May 2020, the US was finally approved by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to export fresh blueberries to China. The first shipment arrived in July, and on 23rd, a ceremony was held to promote the first fresh US blueberry to be sold in China by the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and Pagoda, a well-known fruit retailer with national coverage. The US blueberries that just arrived are appreciated by the Chinese, due to their sweetness and appearance. This is a milestone for the US blueberry industry as they can now reach the biggest growing market in the world.

The states that are approved by the Chinese government are California, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, and North Carolina and they need to treat blueberries with bromomethane fumigation to enter China, except for the California and Oregon. Blueberries are available in the US from March to October, starting in the Southeast and ending with the West Coast. The seasonality of US blueberries overlaps with the Chinese season but there is a window of opportunity between August and September. The peak season of Chinese blueberries is between June and July, and Peruvian blueberries start coming in from October, leaving a gap between the two seasons. The Peru harvesting season starts from around mid-August, but the beginning of the Peruvian blueberry offers a lower Brix level compared to the Chinese preference, which makes the US blueberries attractive. The US growers bet on the quality, size, and sweetness to gain ground in the growing Chinese market.

A challenge that US blueberry exporters will face against competing with the Peruvian blueberries is the 75% tariff it will face to enter China. Peru has a free trade agreement with China, and once Peruvian blueberry hits their market the US blueberries will not be able to compete in prices.

Background of Chinese blueberry market

The Chinese blueberry market is now open for imports from Peru, Chile, the US, Mexico, Uruguay, Canada, and Argentina. However, the Chinese market is dominated by the Peruvian and Chilean blueberries which accounted for 99% of the blueberries imported to China with 25,149 MT in 2020. These two countries have been awarded approval from China a few years back and entered market sooner. Moreover, Peru and Chile have free trade agreements with China and a counter season with the Chinese blueberry, making them perfect candidates for their supply.

Chinese blueberry consumption has been on an upward trend influenced by the increase in the awareness of its health benefits and its versatile usage. Online media and heavy offline promotions in retailers have also helped to boost consumption. The imports of blueberries have increased yearly by 31% in volume in the last five years and still show room for increase, becoming a very promising target for blueberry producers.