The Peruvian Complex Agroindustrial Beta plans to increase its blueberry production by 135% during its campaign this year (July-December), compared to the previous one, reaching between 12,000 and 13,000 tons of berries.
The company's general manager, Lionel Arce Orbegozo, explained that this growth is because more areas are entering production, and others are reaching higher yields as they enter the maturity period. 90% of the production will go as fresh blueberries, and the remaining 10% is frozen.
The company currently has 1,000 hectares of blueberries, of which 700 are in Lambayeque (Jayanca and Olmos) and 300 in Ica, where the Ventura, Biloxi, and other patented varieties are mainly grown. The northern areas are all already in production, and most of the southern areas enter the first harvest this year, explained Arce.
Regarding the destination markets, the fresh blueberry will go to Europe, the United States, and Asia, while the frozen blueberry will go to Japan and the United States. "We are looking for more access to the European market, but the United States is a mandatory market," he pointed out.