FOB pricing on imported blueberries is approximately triple what it was last year at this time. “It’s been $58-$60 FOB so pricing has been very high. I see it holding for the foreseeable future,” says Ricky Armata of C&J Brothers.
The spike in pricing is of course due to an inventory of blueberries from Peru that has been very scarce. “There’s only a very very little bit coming out of there. I can’t say if it’s El Nino for sure though the growers in Peru did say that the weather was having a major impact on early production,” says Armata. “It’s been like this for at least a month or so and they are saying that this will stay like this until December to January.”
Chilean production
The beginning of January is the start of the Chilean blueberry season though pricing relief will also depend on when that fruit is ready and what the quality will look like on those blueberries.
As for demand, given the limited supply, it is strong. “I’m not sure how long that will last but I expect it to last another few weeks from what I’m hearing,” Armata says.
In addition to the bit of fruit making its way out of Peru, there has been a new player in blueberries this year. “In a small way, there’s some fruit out of Ecuador this year which is definitely a first. However the quality hasn’t been very good on that,” says Armata.
For more information:
Ricky Armata
C&J Brothers
Tel: +1 (718) 991-5050
[email protected]
https://www.candjbrothers.com/