New Chilean blueberry varieties to score 39 percent export uptick

Writing and reporting by Macarena Bravo

With 2025/26 marked by a deep varietal renewal process, the Chilean blueberry sector is looking ahead to an auspicious 2027. According to the Andean country’s Blueberry Committee, managed by fruit guild Frutas de Chile, overall exports are on track to reach nearly 155,000 metric tons, a two percent increase year-on-year.

This marks the third consecutive year of growth, driven once again by next-generation replacement varieties, a key component in the industry’s recovery agenda. 

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Fresh shipments of new varieties are expected to reach 30,305 metric tons, a 39 percent surge accounting for 32 percent of total fresh exports. Conversely, traditional cultivars are projected to decline to 64,803 metric tons, a nine percent reduction.

"Two seasons ago, one in every five boxes was a replacement variety; this season, that ratio is expected to reach one in every three," noted the committee’s Executive Director, Andrés Armstrong.

The organization expects export volumes to peak between weeks 49 and 2 (spanning from late November through mid-January), with weekly shipments exceeding 8,000 metric tons

El Niño still looms over the Chilean horizon

The committee also assessed the effects of El Niño, which brought rainfall across the southern O'Higgins through La Araucanía regions in early October, along with isolated hail in the foothills of Maule, Ñuble, and Biobío in late September.

"To date, the impact has been limited, and the committee will continue monitoring orchard development before issuing its next update in November," Armstrong stated.

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In the United States, Chilean fruit faces a 12.5 percent tariff surtax. Although the duty affected shipments to that market last season, organic blueberry exports rose 12 percent and accounted for nearly 39 percent of total Chilean fresh blueberry shipments to that destination.

Meanwhile, Europe solidified its position as Chile's leading market, capturing half of all shipments following a 20 percent increase in volume.

*All images are referential via Shutterstock.

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Chilean blueberry exports exceed projections amid a transformative varietal renewal process