The United States market continues to be the main destination for blueberries, as it purchases 95.4 percent of the total traded. However, Mexican producers are betting on other markets, such as the United Kingdom, stated the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (Sagarpa).
The closeness to the United States has favored the rapid growth of this berry's production and the development of the industry; in 2017 production amounted to 36,700 tons of blueberries. According to the Agricultural Food Atlas 2012-2018 prepared by the Agricultural Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), production increased by 410 percent when compared to 2012, when it only amounted to 7,191 tons.
Jalisco is the country's leading producer with 14,563 tons of blueberry, as it has the right soil and climatic conditions for this crop. The entity also has all the technology and human resources to produce them, because berries, in general, require professional and specialized treatment for marketing.
Jalisco is followed by Michoacan, with 8,861 tons; Sinaloa, 6,149 tons; Baja California, with3,380 tons, and Colima, with 2,630 tons.
Mexican farmers achieved revenues of 2,150 million pesos and Michoacan, the entity that achieved the highest value, earned 856 million.
Even though the United States is the main export destination, Mexico also exports its blueberries to Japan, China, Singapore, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
The number of destinations was doubled in six years, going from 18 to 30 countries in Europe, Asia, and America, according to the Agricultural Food Atlas 2012-2018. In this context, producers are now betting on the UK market, which is the third largest importer of this fruit worldwide, and that acquired an estimated 45 thousand tons of blueberries in 2017.
Blueberry production and consumption in Mexico dates back to 1996 and it has grown by 800 percent during the last decade, due to an increase in the global demand for this product.
Source: Notimex