The Peruvian blueberry season for 2026/27 is progressing in a context of increased supply and international competition. In Asia, this is reflected in markets with varying scales, distribution channels, and demands, ranging from China to destinations still in earlier stages of development.

For Peru, this diversity expands commercial alternatives, but also requires adjusting variety, fruit condition, logistics and presentation to the characteristics of each destination.

China shifts its weight in the campaign

At the close of week 37, Peru had accumulated 122.833 tons of fresh blueberries exported, 28% more than in the same period of the previous season, according to Proarándanos.

China, however, showed a different trend. Shipments to that market reached 15.838 tons, around 16% less than in the same period last season. The United States, on the other hand, totaled 56.251 tons, with a year-on-year increase of 50%.

The difference alone does not allow us to conclude that Chinese demand is decreasing. The distribution of shipments can change depending on fruit availability, prices, trade windows, and exporters' decisions. As the season progresses, we will see if the lower volume to China persists during the weeks of peak Peruvian supply.

The first signs of the Chinese market

The start of the season also provided some clues about the type of fruit that might find a place in that market. On July 10, the first Peruvian container of the season arrived at the Haiguangxing market in Jiaxing with Sekoya Pop, Jumbo size 20+. The shipment, consisting of 21 pallets, opened at around 230 yuan per 1,5-kilo tray and sold out in approximately one hour.

This particular episode doesn't allow us to extrapolate the behavior of the entire season, but it demonstrates the interest that an early-ripening, large-sized, and varietal fruit can generate. It also coincides with a period when several Peruvian exporters were prioritizing other destinations, such as the United States and Europe.

Genetics enters the business strategy

The expansion of new varieties is one of the structural changes in the Peruvian industry. Sekoya Pop is one of the varieties included in export programs to China, as part of a varietal renewal that seeks to combine productivity with commercial attributes.

Genetics influences characteristics such as harvest window, size, firmness, flavor, productivity, and post-harvest behavior. Along with agronomic management and production conditions, these attributes affect the ability to respond to different markets and commercial programs.

This scenario adds new variables to planting decisions. Yield per hectare remains fundamental, but how well a variety adapts to a given planting window, arrival conditions, and destination is also important. Peruvian varietal replacement is already being analyzed in these terms by technical and commercial stakeholders in the industry.

Brands seek to differentiate the product

The search for differentiation also appears in brand strategies. Camposol began the 2026/27 campaign with 342 tons shipped to China between weeks 18 and 25, a 631% increase compared to the same period of the previous season.

The company also develops Kai Péi Guǒ, a brand specifically designed for the Chinese consumer. During the 2025/26 season, Camposol exported 9.020 tons of blueberries to Asia, of which 7.564 tons went to China.

This case illustrates how some companies are complementing varietal differentiation with branding strategies targeted at specific markets. Their success will depend on the commercial proposition being supported by consistent fruit quality.

Asia is diversifying

While China maintains a much larger scale, other Asian destinations are gaining ground.

Taiwan is one of the most visible examples. In the campaign period reported by Proarándanos, Peruvian shipments reached 1.456 tons, compared to 360 tons in the same period of the previous season, an increase of 304%. With that volume, the market moved into first place within the group of destinations that Proarándanos classifies as “other markets.”

The growth starts from a smaller base, but the additional volume is significant: Taiwan accounted for more than half of the increase recorded by that group of destinations and far surpassed Singapore, India and Thailand in the same period.

Hong Kong also already has a significant trade flow. Between January and July 2026, Peru exported US$11,619 billion worth of blueberries to that market, according to ADEX. This trade has also benefited from the new framework of the Free Trade Agreement between Peru and Hong Kong, which came into effect on September 1.

India, Thailand, and Singapore appear at a different stage. Peruvian companies consider them long-term alternatives, where logistics, arrival conditions, and direct customer relationships will be key to business expansion.

A broader portfolio of destinations can reduce exposure to a single market and open up alternatives based on the window of opportunity, quality, and characteristics of the fruit. But diversification doesn't mean all markets are equivalent: consumption scale, distribution channels, logistics, and commercial requirements vary among them.

Profitability as the end goal

The increased supply necessitates looking beyond export tonnage. The importance of a destination also depends on the potential return on investment from the trade program and the costs required to meet the necessary standards.

In Asia, this equation is increasingly linked to the combination of variety, window, arrival condition, logistics, and market. New routes to China and other destinations, for example, are expanding the options, but the logistical choice depends on the destination, the fruit's location, and available services, not just transit time.

China will remain one of the main markets for Peruvian blueberries, but the growth of Taiwan, the consolidation of flows towards Hong Kong and the exploration of other destinations show an increasingly less homogeneous Asia.

The 2026/27 campaign will allow us to see if Peru can turn this greater diversity of markets into sustained and profitable commercial programs, without losing its status as a fruit and its ability to respond to the specific demands of each destination.

Read also:

• Walter Apaza: “Varietal replacement is reshaping the blueberry business in Peru”
• Taiwan gains importance in the diversification of Peruvian blueberries
• Camposol accelerates its blueberry shipments to China and consolidates its Kai Péi Guǒ brand
• Hong Kong opens a new scenario for Peruvian blueberries
• Peru is diversifying its blueberry exports to India, Thailand, and Singapore
• Callao and Chancay reorganize the routes of Peruvian blueberries