A report by the Association of Chilean Fruit Exporters (ASOEX) states that, Chile will export 117 thousand tons of blueberries in 2020/21, which is roughly in line with the amount exported in the latest season, in which 117.8 thousand tons of berries were exported. There will be no decrease in the supply of berries during the drought.
In Chile, ASOEX projects that blueberry production in the 2021/22 season will increase to 178 thousand tons as new plantations come into fruiting and old varieties are replaced with new varieties. A larger volume of products will be sold domestically and for freezing. New varieties of blueberries account for 25 percent of blueberry exports currently.
In season 2021/22, fresh organic blueberry exports will increase by 18%, while frozen exports will increase by 27%.
Since the plantations have efficient irrigation systems, it is clear that the drought in Chile won’t affect harvesting and exporting blueberries. In response to logistics challenges that threaten the whole supply chain, manufacturers and exporters are trying to schedule blueberry shipments by sea.
According to the president of the National Agricultural Society of Chile, the monetary value of the total Chilean fruit exports in the 2021-2022 season will decrease by 8% due to the drought.
