Peruvian blueberry exports revised down due to El Niño disruptions

The weather phenomenon El Niño continues wreaking havoc on the Peruvian blueberry sector. Industry body Proarandanos is projecting exports to reach 382,000 metric tons during the current 2026/27 campaign. The revised forecast sits six percent below the original estimate of 404,000 tons released in early August, and 4.5 percent below last season’s total of 400,000 tons.   

In its latest report, Proarandanos said the reduction reflects worsening climate conditions resulting from the El Niño phenomenon. 

Image courtesy of MINAGRI, Peru

The industry’s main concern is declining volumes during peak week, estimated for week 42 in mid-October. During that period, the sector projects shipping 16,500 tons of blueberries, a 16 percent drop compared to the August forecast and a 21 percent year-on-year decrease.  

“This reduction is the clearest signal of the impact El Niño is having on productivity during the middle and final stretch of the season,” the document reads. 

The organics category was also affected by abnormal weather, with the industry projecting exports at 25,000 tons, 18 percent below previous estimates. 

Dwindling blueberry volumes and a call for caution

Up to the last week of August, Peru had shipped 95,000 tons of fruit, a 48 percent year-on-year increase representing 25 percent of the total export volume for the current campaign.  

Referential image via Shutterstock 

This strong start has significant implications going forward, the industry body explained, as remaining volume (around 286,000 tons) sits 10 percent below the 318,000 tons shipped between week 36 and the end of the 2025/26 campaign, a size Proarandanos called “considerably lower”. 

In its latest report, the Peruvian growers association is reiterating its original call for caution, as weather forecasts project worsening conditions toward the end of the year. 

Referential image via Shutterstock 

“The strong pace of progress recorded through week 35 should not be interpreted as a sign that the climate impact has eased, as it is due in part to the consolidation of early varieties and the increase in planted area,” the document says.

Proarandanos said further downward revisions cannot be ruled out for the blueberry export forecast, the next of which is set for release in October. 

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