The Peruvian blueberry season usually begins in May and lasts until April of the following year. The 2024/25 Peruvian blueberry season began in the 18th week of the year, and as of the 24th week, fresh blueberry exports were 936.9 tonnes, down 66% from 2,792.7 tonnes in the same period of the previous season.
Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of ProArandanos, Peru's association of blueberry growers and exporters, said production and exports of fresh blueberries this season were down from last season. Although the weather was more normal than last season and there were no unusually high temperatures, blueberry production was low early in the season.
Blueberry pruning in Peru usually takes place between December 15 and January 15 each year, but last season the harvest was delayed by more than 30 days due to El Nino. At the same time, the Peruvian blueberry industry wants production to be evenly distributed throughout the year, rather than concentrated in September-October each year, and adjustments are made at the planting end.
Luis said the trend in Peru's blueberry industry is for production supplies to be more even, spreading production over more weeks of the year, especially during the peak harvest in October. Typically, the third quarter of blueberry production in Peru accounts for 45% of the season's production. The Peruvian blueberry industry will reduce production in the third quarter and increase production in the first quarter to make the market more stable.