Polish blueberry growers eye Asian markets as harvests loom
Surviving the late frosts and sub-zero temperatures of May, the blueberry crop grown by Polish grower and supplier Polskie Jagody is gearing up for harvest with optimistic production predictions in terms of volume and quality. Sales director Agata Malkiewicz talks with www.freshfruitportal.com about the forthcoming season.
The U.K. and Ireland are the main markets for Polskie Jagody's blueberry supply in terms of volume, but its exotic Far Eastern markets are what really inspire the Obsza-based group of fruit growers. 
Picking up the momentum of last year's first real foray into Asian markets, Malkiewicz is eyeing the East again this year and should be ready to star supply in July, shortly after early varieties are harvested.
"Last year we supplied Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. This year we hopefully will also add Hong Kong to that mix so we are going to have quite a heavy presence in Asia and our sales to Asia are definitely going to go up this year," she says.
"We definitely wanted to have more clients in more countries, and in more exotic countries and markets. We were really happy that we didn't have any quality issues last year within our Asian markets.
"It was a very successful season and I'm hoping for an equally successful season in Asia this year because its such a new territory for us and you're always a little bit anxious before you start, but it went so well that we want to build upon it even more this year."
After the early harvests in July, mid and late blueberry varieties will keep supply going through the summer and well into the fall.
Although it's too early to calculate precise volumes, production looks set to be similar to last year's 1,000 metric tons (MT).
"We had some spring frosts but luckily our crops were fine because we protect them well and managed to keep them safe even when the temperature went below zero in May. I think it's all going to be okay with no major unforeseen weather situations.
"We're still not out of the woods yet because obviously anything can happen from now until the beginning of the season, but we are hopeful the season will be a good one. From this point onwards, I don't think there will be any more frosts so we should be pretty safe.
"Sometime if it's very hot the plants may speed up a bit and the fruits may ripen slightly faster which means a slightly shorter season but usually we are still picking at the end of September."
Polskie Jagody markets blueberries under the BeFruit brand and offers a variety of packaging and sizing options.
Transit to Asia by air freight means the fruit ends up in Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur or Tokyo in a couple of days, against one month on the water, says Malkiewicz.
"In terms of transit to Asian markets, were assessing things. This year we will probably send out the first container on ship and then see.
"Last year we did everything by plane. Quality wise air freight is of course so much better because of the faster transit, whilst cost wise it makes more sense to send containers by ship.
"It's a factor that we have to take into account and also the fact that throughout the transit we have to control the atmosphere."
In addition to being 'exotic', Asia represent a real coup for Polskie Jagody as very few Polish companies are present there, according to Malkiewicz.
"Last year, we were one of the few, or even maybe the only one present, on some of the these markets. I even received a call from the Polish Embassy because the officials saw that we were exporting our fruit to Asia under our label which was also very exciting for us because we could show off our brand.
"They saw the label, company name and called me to express how excited they were to find that product in the local supermarkets."
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