According to Federico Beltran, general manager of Terra Business, one of the few positive aspects of the current world health crisis for Peruvian agribusiness is that it has allowed the sector to develop in a period that does not correspond to the main export window for various products, such as blueberry, which is mainly marketed abroad between the first fortnight of July and the end of December. Before that period, for example between January and February, the leading role belongs to other producers, such as Chile.
Beltran considers that producers mustn't neglect the fields, given that the campaign is four months away and, by then, many of the current complexities will have been resolved, at least partially.
"There will be a strong rearrangement in the coming months and I think that by July things will be more organized, fluid, and people will be more interested in consuming healthy products like blueberries," he said.
We mustn't forget that the exported product must maintain its high-quality characteristics, which implies good flavor, firmness, quality, and appearance. Many of the companies currently achieve this goal because they have developed high control standards in the last 15 or 20 years.
“That is why Peru has grown so fast; I think the country will have 20,000 hectares of blueberry in the next five years,” he said. It should be noted that in 2019, the areas certified for berry export in the country totaled 10,963 hectares.
According to Beltran, the cold chain is a key issue for the sector, as blueberries require refrigerated containers. That's why it isn't surprising that the sector is dominated by large companies with logistical power.
Another challenge is the distance of the destinations of the Peruvian blueberry, such as Europe, China, and the United States, which are 30 days away on average; a great disadvantage against other producers, such as Mexico, which borders with the United States and can place its product there in two days. "That's why post-harvest is as important as production itself," he stated.
Source: agraria.pe/noticias