Peru takes larger slice of blueberry pie

Peru has overtaken Chile as the world’s third-largest blueberry producer, after China and the US, as the market continues to grow, according to a recent report by The Blueberry International Organization (IBO). Another key takeaway from the study is that better-yielding varieties are driving the category’s overall expansion.

Global output of fresh and processed highbush blueberries now stands at just below 1.8m tons in 2021. One-third of global volume growth is attributed to yield increases, as opposed to a simple expansion of planted area. Consumer demand for better and better quality has encouraged innovation in the adoption of new genetics, as well as improved farming practices and post-harvest systems.