Extreme weather hitting global fruit markets

In the blueberry market, quality has become key, with ‘jumbo-sized’ berries now storming the market. These oversized berries are expected to make significant inroads into the market, not only aligning with consumer preferences but also offering operational advantages, including efficiency gains and cost reduction in production and harvesting. Meanwhile, the strawberry section at the show displayed its commitment to quality, with a noteworthy presentation of branded greenhouse-grown strawberries. Unlike Europe, greenhouse-grown strawberries represent a relatively recent development in the United States but are rapidly gaining prominence in the market

Meanwhile, weather anomalies have hit production and supply of various fruits such as blueberries, table grapes and stone fruit. For instance, there was an absence of blueberries in numerous US supermarkets throughout the month of October due to the decline in Peru’s blueberry shipments in 2023/24 brought about by the adverse effects of a warm winter on yields.