Chilean blueberries this season started slowly, and the output in August was slightly lower than the same period. However, the total output of Chilean blueberries in the 2020-2021 season is expected to be 2% higher than the previous season.
According to the weekly report of the Chilean blueberry Committee, Chilean blueberry exports began to grow from November 2020, reaching more than 1000 tons for the first time in the 46th week (November 9-15). In December, when the harvest reached the peak, the export volume increased significantly, reaching 11649 tons in the 50th week (December 7-13) and 10755 tons in the 51st week (December 14-20). After that, in the 52nd and 53rd weeks of 2020 and the first week of 2021, the export volume has been stable at more than 9000 tons per week. Chilean blueberries are expected to continue to be available in January and February 2021.
Experts predict that the export situation of Chilean blueberry in 2020-2021 is good as a whole, and the export volume is equivalent to that of last year. The Chilean blueberry Committee predicts that the total export volume of fresh blueberries in 2020-2021 will reach 111500 tons, an increase of 2% over the previous season. The Chilean blueberry Council is composed of Chile's leading blueberry exporters and belongs to the association of Chilean fruit exporters (ASOEX).
At present, as of January 10-the first week of 2021, the cumulative export volume of Chilean blueberries this season has reached 66,441 tons, which is still lower than the total export volume of 67,926 tons in the same period of the previous season, which is about 2.3% less. On the one hand, the low daytime temperature in Chile delayed the ripening of blueberries. On the other hand, due to the lack of labor, blueberry harvest process is affected. Especially in December and early January, cherry ripening, transfer a lot of picking labor, making it difficult to harvest blueberries. However, with the rise of temperature in central Chile in December and the end of cherry season, the ripening and harvesting of Chilean blueberries are speeding up, and the problem of labor shortage no longer exists. In the next few weeks, blueberry exports will continue to grow, and the gap with last year's total exports is expected to narrow.