Peru’s blueberry industry is poised for continued growth.
Terra Business manager, Federico Beltran Molina, said Peru currently has 14,000 hectares of blueberries which will grow to 20,000 in the next three years, as reported by Agraria.
He stressed that the blueberry producing companies are investing heavily in technology, resulting in Peru now having 10 genetic programs.
“Through the genetic component, Peru is achieving a differentiation by quality,” he said. “That quality stigma that the market put on us before (in 2012, 2013, 2014) when saying that Peruvian fruit was acidic and hit us a lot, is disappearing.”
Currently there are fields from Moquegua to Piura, with very active projects in the Sierra de Ancash (Huaraz) and Cajamarca. Of the 14,000 hectares of blueberries planted today, 5,000 are of the Biloxi variety, 5,000 are Ventura, 2,000 are from clubs of the 10 genetic programs mentioned, and another 2,000 are of protected varieties.
Blueberry cultivation will continue to gain ground in Peru in the coming years
Peru s blueberry industry continues to grow. The country currently has 14,000 hectares devoted to blueberry production. According to Federico Beltran Molina, the general manager of Terra Business, this area could increase by more than 40% and reach 20,000 hectares in the next 3 years.
Currently there are productions from Moquegua to Piura, and very active projects in the Sierra de Ancash (Huaraz) and Cajamarca, Beltran said. Of the 14,000 hectares of blueberries planted, 5,000 correspond to the Biloxi variety, 5,000 to the Ventura variety, 2,000 are from the 10 genetic programs in the country, and another 2,000 hectares are of protected varieties. Beltran said that a large percentage of the Peruvian supply has a modern genetic component.