Chile's 2016-17 blueberry deal has started far earlier than the previous campaign, but with weekly export volumes currently lower than last year's levels. 

Fruit market research company Decofrut said shipments had kicked off almost a month earlier than in 2015, with all of the exports so far sent via airfreight.

Between weeks 33 and 35, the South American country exported 25 metric tons (MT) of fresh blueberries. The fruit originates from the Metropolitan, Coquimbo and Valparaiso regions.

Of the total shipments to date, 92% has been sent to the Far East, with 80% of those going to China and 20% to Japan. The remaining volumes were split evenly between the U.S. and Colombia.

Prices for Chilean blueberries have been gradually rising over recent weeks, achieving an average FOB sales price of US$27.34 per kilo.

Fruit from Peru and Canada is also being sold in the Asian market, although prices are reported to be far lower than Chilean fruit.

Decofrut also said the fruit that had been shipped so far had been of good internal and external quality.

Industry production estimates are not yet available, as many key southern regions are yet to begin harvesting.

During the 2015-16 season, some 33 million boxes equivalent to 91,500MT were exported, marking a 1% year-on-year decline.

The main market for the fruit was the U.S., which received two-thirds of volumes. A further 22% was shipped to Europe, 9% to the Far East and 3% to Canada.

Related article: Opinion: What’s in store for Chile’s U.S.-bound blueberry trade?

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