An activity aimed at promoting blueberry consumption in Argentina will be held, for the third consecutive year, in different Argentine cities from October 14 to the 20. The campaign is part of the More Fruits and Vegetables Program, promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of the Nation and Argentina's Blueberry Committee (ABC).
The goal of the campaign is to position Argentina's blueberry as an alternative mass consumption fresh fruit, as well as making it known as a fresh, natural, and healthy snack. The Ministry of Food and Bio-economics, through the National Food and Beverage Directorate and the Association of Blueberry Producers of Tucuman (APRATUC), will carry out different dissemination and tasting activities in different parts of the country.
Blueberry production is important for the regional economy. It is a source of employment, foreign exchange, and territorial growth. In 2018, the country exported 15,280 tons of fresh blueberries worth nearly 85 million dollars. The United States continues to be the main destination for Argentine blueberries, followed by Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Asia.
According to data from Argentina's Blueberries Committee, a non-profit civil association headed by Federico Baya that brings together blueberry exporters from Argentina, Corrientes, and Entre Rios, there are 1,040 hectares of blueberries sown in the country. In 2016, the country exported 8,550 tons. The NOA, composed of Salta, Tucuman, and Catamarca, concentrates 1,308 hectares, which were responsible for 6,670 of the tons that were exported that year. 402 hectares have also been planted in Buenos Aires, the Central area of Argentina, which accounted for 1,180 of the tons that were exported in that same period.
According to these data, Corrientes and Entre Rios account for 39% of the area planted with blueberries in the country, NOA for 46%, and Buenos Aires (central area), for 15%. Blueberry is also gaining space in Misiones. In Misiones, a cooperative that brings together 10 families cultivates 15 hectares in the town of San Pedro, with an estimated production of 4,500 kg, a part of which they market in fresh, and a part that will now be used for the production of duly certified jams.
Blueberries are currently produced in Corrientes, Tucuman, Salta, Entre Rios, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Santa Fe; and to a lesser extent in Chubut and Rio Negro. The most common varieties grown in Argentina are the early varieties in the north and the late ones in the south. The harvests take place in January / February (5%), March / October (12%), November (61%), and December (22%).
Source: momarandu.com