3:05. Lima, Sep. 11. Peruvian blueberry exports amounted to US$5.6 million in the period between January and July 2014 , up 408% compared with the same period in 2013, the Association of Exporters (ADEX) reported on Wednesday.
According to Giannina Denegri, ADEX’s agro director, the demand for this fruit will continue to increase as there is a worldwide commercial window between the months of September and November; a period in which, unlike other countries, we grow cranberries in our country.”
ADEX’s official also pointed out that this product’s potential was huge, so much so that they expected to double the hectares sown. “There were 550 hectares of blueberries distributed in Lima, La Libertad and Ancash at the end of 2013. Now, we estimate there will be some 4,000 hectares in the next five or six years.”
She added, “Peru could be within the first three blueberry producers in the world within the next decade.”
Likewise, Denegri explained that the advantages of cultivating blueberries were that the various species of this fruit could adapt to different climates and that they had a good return on investment. “It’s an expensive crop if you start from scratch, but the profits are, in average, twice what was invested,” she said.
The United States was the main destination for Peruvian blueberries, accounting for 68% of total purchases, US$3.8 million (+2,398%), between January and July.
Following the United States were the Netherlands with US$1.2 million (+ 96.4%) and Hong Kong with US$ 257,000 (+1,244.6%).
Sales to the UK decreased by 51.5% (US$ 121,000) because Peru’s direct competitors, such as Chile and Argentina, were supplying them in the above-mentioned period, according to freshplaza.com.
