Chile: Demand for organic blueberries increases every year

The North zone of the Chilean blueberry production has finished its harvest and the North-Central zone is contributing less, still the Central-South and the South zone continue with great activity. The Chilean Blueberry Committee report of last week, states that 6,615 tons of fresh blueberries were exported from Chile during week 6, of which 72% went to North America, 20% went to Europe and 8% to China. “This week marks the beginning of the declining volume phase of the current season.”

_{Chilean blueberries: weekly shipments in tons}
In the report there are some remarkable facts. The first is the impact that the organic blueberry supply has had. “In the case of the exports of fresh organic blueberries, the greater volume expected from the Southern Regions for this season was confirmed. So far, there have been 4 straight weeks with exports above 1,100 tons (see organic shipments graph). On week 6, the exports were for 1,180 tons and accounted for 17.8% of the total exported on the past week.”

The Chilean Blueberry committee has been present at the Biofach trade fair in Nuremberg Germany this year. “The demand for organic products is increasing every year and the bigger organic blueberry production in Chile is an answer to that demand. During the current season, the fresh organic blueberry exports account for 9% of the total fresh exports from Chile and it is highly likeable that the season will finish at 10%.”

_{Organic blueberry Chile weekly shipments in tons}

As you can see from the graph above, since the beginning of this year there has been an increase in exports of organic supply. This can be explained as the Central-South zone with is the area with the largest contribution at the moment and includes the IX Region: “This region stands out for its contribution to the organic offer with traditional varieties such as Brigitta, Legacy and Elliot and others of smaller volume.”

_{Chilean blueberries: Accumulated export in tons}

Accumulated volumes
The second important aspect the committee highlighted in last week's update is the final volume of the season, which will is expected to surpass the initial estimate. “This is mainly due to the weather, which has remained optimal for the fruit development and for the harvest labours. The scarce rains during the summer, have not presented too much intensity and for the next 2 weeks, the forecasts show that this condition should remain.”