Cranberry season 2019-2020: Leap in production and greater focus on quality

The Committee of Blueberries estimates that exports will have an increase of 4% in the 2019-2020 season, which will reach 115 thousand tons, driven by the entry into production of new varieties and orchards.

Waiting for the system approach for the US

One of the doubts that remain open for this season is whether the access of blueberries from the Ñuble and Biobío regions under the system approach to the United States will be achieved, since until now they are required to fumigate with methyl bromide —al as well as production from the regions of Maule, O'Higgins, Metropolitana and Valparaíso— to control the plague of the Lobesia botrana, something that is expected by the producers and that would increase the supply of organic blueberries.

“We had the expectation that it would move faster than what happened, and we are waiting for it to be published for comments in the United States, because it is in that administrative stage. We can wait until next month, because if not, for the purposes of these two regions, the season will already have passed, ”says Andrés Armstrong.

For four years, the partners of the exporter Alfaberries - made up of five producers from the Ñuble Region, which together total about 100 planted hectares - began to renew their blueberry orchards for more productive varieties that allow them to arrive in Better conditions to international markets.

In 2018, in addition, they launched a new process plant that will allow them to market up to three million kilos of fruit, with which they expect to grow 54% compared to last year and reach two million kilos of blueberries, in a clear commitment for continuing to develop this business.

“The tighter price landscape is here to stay, but if 15 is produced by tons per hectare with new varieties, taking care of the quality of the fruit, blueberries are still a more interesting business than any other species, except cherries,” comments the manager of Alfaberries, Sebastián Domínguez.

The changes promoted by Alfaberries partners follow the trend initiated by the main exporters of Chilean blueberries, which have focused on prioritizing the quality of the fruit and increasing the productivity of the orchards to face the growing competition from countries such as Peru and Mexico .

In fact, sales of blueberry plants in the last four years reflect the dynamism of the renovation, with an increase of 71% between 2014 and 2017, and a strong component of new protected varieties, which become the leaders, where TopShelf and BlueRibbon stand out.

The replacement is not only reflected in existing plantations. According to the data of the last cadastres of the Ministry of Agriculture, between 2016 and 2019 2.500 added new hectares for this species, mainly in the Maule Region (see infographic), showing that it continues to rise in the country.

Faced with this scenario, if the current weather conditions are maintained, the Blueberry Committee projects that fresh blueberry exports in the 2019-2020 season will mark a new record of 115 thousand tons, equivalent to 4% more than in the previous campaign.

"Production is expected to be 160 thousand tons, of which 115 thousand will be exported fresh, 41 thousand would be frozen and four thousand will be mobilized locally ... This considering that the climate behavior will reduce the productive potential , due to the lower accumulation of cold hours in the winter and the string of frosts that have occurred since the end of August, ”they indicate.

Time to renew

Faced with the growing supply of blueberries from new producing countries, where Peru stands out - which this season expects to harvest between 110 thousand and 125 thousand tons, which could become the world's leading exporter -, the berry's business scheme has changed to global level, adjusting prices and, at the same time, raising the quality demands of importers.

Therefore, one of the key points for Chilean producers to remain competitive is to increase productivity per hectare and tend to match it with the results obtained in other producing countries.

“The average production level per hectare in Chile is around nine thousand kilos, which makes it very difficult to compete with other countries, but if someone produces 15 one thousand kilos per hectare, they are in full condition to do so. We have orchards in different countries and when they are at that level of performance they are comparable, ”says Sebastián Carmona, general manager of Carsol, which has more than one thousand hectares planted in Chile, Peru and Portugal.

Another key issue is the right choice of new varieties to make the replacement that is needed, since they must not only be more productive, but also meet the quality and flavor requirements that the markets are looking for.

“The challenge that Chile has today is to align with the demands of the market through the new genetics. It is essential to maintain competitiveness and if it does not happen, it will be very difficult for the industry to remain in the long term ... Now, if we can make the leap, we have a promising future as a complement to the Peruvian industry, which is growing in important way, ”says Hortifrut general manager Ramiro Soffia.

Quality, the central axis

When talking about projections of the blueberry industry, the word that is most repeated is “quality”, since unlike the new offer of other countries, Chile has a part of the production that corresponds to older varieties, which They produce fruit that reaches the markets softly.

“The increase in world production has made the market more competitive, leaving out varieties that do not have the best post-harvest behavior in terms of parameters such as firmness, which is one of the main problems of the most planted old varieties in Chile ”, Explains Jorge Andrés Varela, partner of the Agroberries exporter, which also has operations in Peru and Mexico.

The Committee of Blueberries announced a few months ago the new Quality System that they promote, focused on strengthening management in the orchards and the harvest to favor the firmness of blueberries, improve postharvest technologies, discourage plantations of the varieties that They do not have good results and adjust quality standards.

“It was agreed that at least 37 varieties will be eliminated from fresh exports, limiting the universe only to those that have presented better quality results in terms of the arrival of the fruit to the markets,” they report in the Blueberry Committee, which brings together 50 exporters, which represent 78% of national production.

In addition, this season they will carry out field visits with the producers during the harvest, to optimize the work practices in the orchards and verify that the recommendations that seek to improve in quality are being fulfilled.

“The growth of productions in Peru, Mexico and Morocco is with much more updated varieties, so the quality standard changed. To continue in the market we have to adapt and the increase in plantations and the renewal that is observed in Chile speaks of the fact that, for those who are making the changes, this is still a good business and that they continue betting on Chile as a supplier ”, affirms the executive director of the Blueberry Committee, Andrés Armstrong.

Stable prices

Although nobody wants to venture to project exact prices for blueberries, exporters agree that a season similar to the previous one is expected, in general terms, where the quality and condition of arrival of the fruit will be crucial for better results.

“It is difficult to project prices, but we are hopeful that it will be a better season than the previous one. As a company, we are making great efforts to improve our quality at the level of orchards and crops, and that is where the price expectations we may have pass ”, warns Ramiro Soffia.

Another of the changes that has brought the greatest Peruvian offer is that the high prices of the first weeks of harvest have tended to flatten.

“Those price peaks in the early and late stage of the season were related to the shortage of the market, but today it is no longer given and high prices are obtained through quality fruit. As a company, we are focused on selling almost our entire program in supermarkets, during the 12 months of the year, and we choose the transitions between countries, which gives us a scenario of greater stability ”, explains Sebastián Carmona.

In general terms, Sebastián Domínguez, of Alfaberries, argues that this season should be similar to the previous one in Asia and Europe, with prices equal or slightly lower, while the performance of the United States will be marked by the volumes available in the market.

“Having good arrivals is very important today in the blueberry business. If you arrive in the United States when the price is bad, with the fruit with problems, you can even have losses, ”he warns.

Interesting markets

As in other fruits, China is emerging as an attractive market for blueberries. It currently represents around 10% of Chilean berry exports and could continue to grow.

"China, where we have plantations, is a market where there is much to explore and develop, without neglecting the rest of our customers globally," says Ramiro Soffia, Hortifrut manager.

In addition, it is a destination that values ​​the good taste of the fruit, where Chile is well positioned as a supplier.

“Our customers ask us when we are going to leave to buy from us and stop buying Peruvian fruit, which is good, because it means that we have an advantage,” says Sebastián Domínguez, manager of Alfaberries.

A novelty this season is the surprising change that was achieved in the conditions of access to India, after a decade of bilateral negotiations, which will allow the entry of Chilean blueberries without fumigating them with methyl bromide.

“We did not plan to do promotional activities in that market, but it has a very large potential, even when it is behind in terms of marketing channels,” projects Andrés Armstrong.

Organic appeal

At the end of last season, Chilean organic blueberry exports totaled about 13.500 tons, which represents around 12% of total shipments of this fruit, and an increase of 34% compared to the 2018-2019 season.

The growth responds to the higher consumption of organic blueberries in the USA. mainly, where there were growth of 25% in sales in the last three years, and that only last year registered an increase of 48%, according to the data of the Committee of Blueberries.

In fact, in the case of Hortifrut, 85% of the 750 hectares planted in the country are organic, even though a part of that production cannot be sent with that certification due to the limitations associated with the control of the Lobesia botrana pest.

"For us, the growth in recent years was a bit due to the vacuum generated by this blockade, so the growth in the IX and X Region was quite strong ... That has brought us some commercial complications, because we the volume of organics has concentrated more than the account in certain weeks, since 90% goes to the US, ”says Ramiro Soffia.

Source
The Mercury Field

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