The Chilean blueberry campaign kicked off about 10 days earlier this year, mainly as a result of the high temperatures recorded in the South American country. The season is also expected to be shorter.
"We have got off on the right foot and the forecast is positive, although we will have a smaller market window. But since the campaign started earlier, we have estimated that the production volumes will increase compared to previous years," assured John Buenaventura, of Southern Cone Berries.
Worthy of note is the great demand from China, to the point that Chinese importers have organised weekly cargo flights.
"Every week, Chinese cargo planes come looking for fruit, especially blueberries and cherries. This is really very encouraging, because with a normal shipment there are stopovers, and therefore, a greater chance of the fruit being damaged during the transhipment," added the representative.
Moreover, it is worth stressing that prices have fallen this past week, although they stand at the same level as those recorded last year.
"Chinese importers know that our production volumes are more concentrated and prices have consequently fallen. But as long as we have good returns, it continues to be a good option. Now only need to wait for the container volumes to arrive, then only the highest quality fruit will travel by plane," concluded Buenaventura.
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