In the initial six months of 2024, Morocco achieved a new milestone in blueberry exports, delivering an unprecedented volume to several Eastern European nations, as reported by EastFruit. This performance enabled Moroccan exporters to exceed their total exports for the previous year, thereby consolidating their market presence in Eastern Europe.
Between January and June 2024, Morocco's blueberry exports reached four Eastern European countries, notably the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ukraine, and Poland. The total exports to these countries amounted to 2.1 thousand tons, surpassing the 1.8 thousand tons exported in the entirety of the previous year. Noteworthy were the record shipments to Poland, with 1.5 thousand tons, and Estonia, with 240 tons. However, exports to Ukraine and the Czech Republic saw a slight decline.
These statistics reflect only the direct shipments from Morocco, suggesting the actual impact of Moroccan blueberries in Eastern Europe could be greater when considering indirect routes through Spain, the Netherlands, or Germany.
From January to June 2024, the total blueberry imports by the four mentioned countries approached 25 thousand tons, nearly equaling the total imports of the challenging El Niño-impacted year of 2023. In comparison, in 2022, these countries imported over 32 thousand tons, indicating a significant increase from 2019. Including additional countries like Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, and Slovakia, the total imports in the region reached nearly 45 thousand tons in 2022.
Despite the substantial exports from countries like Poland, Ukraine, and Romania, there remains considerable potential for growth in local off-season consumption. The primary suppliers to the region, aside from re-exporters, include Spain, Chile, Morocco, Peru, Serbia, Portugal, and Sweden, among others. The first half of the year sees a predominance of European suppliers and Morocco in the market, while the latter half is characterized by reduced volumes and increased imports from Southern Hemisphere countries and Sweden, with Sweden primarily supplying wild blueberries to the Baltic nations.
Source: East Fruit