Chilean Blueberries Hitting Peak in China With Record Volumes

The Chilean blueberry selling season in China has already entered its peak period starting from mid-January. With strong export volumes coming out of Chile during January, the 2021/22 season in China is forecast to continue heating up throughout February. According to the Chilean Blueberry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), January 2022 saw a higher weekly average of blueberry exports than all previous seasons.

The peak of Chilean blueberry availability in China coincides with several holidays, including Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day, and both the wholesale and retail markets for fresh fruit are moving product briskly at this time of year. It is the off-season for China’s domestic blueberry production and Peruvian imports are already tailing off. This means that Chilean blueberries are moving to the forefront of consumers’ tables.

As with several other Chilean fruit products, the Chilean Blueberry Committee undertakes active promotion of blueberries to stimulate consumption in the China market. As part of this campaign, representatives of the committee have recently been traveling around the country to see the season’s progress, as well as holding events, such as seminars at wholesale markets in Qingdao and elsewhere.

This season, the committee has also increased its online promotional efforts for Chilean blueberries in China. This online campaign has included advertisements on mainstream social media and video platforms such as TikTok, NetEase and iQiyi, as well as specialized apps dedicated to topics such as food, parenting, health, entertainment and knowledge sharing. The goal of the campaign has been to emphasize the fresh and healthy nature of Chilean blueberries while directly boosting sales by providing a funnel for consumers to purchase Chilean blueberries online through JD.com and other e-commerce channels.

According to data from the Chilean Blueberry Committee, through week 4 Chile had exported a total of 88,822 tons of blueberries to the world this season. China is the fourth-largest market for Chilean blueberries and the largest export destination in Asia. Through week 4, Chilean exporters had shipped 6,256 tons of blueberries to China. With much of this volume still in shipment by ocean freight, it is expected that there will continue to be an ample supply of Chilean blueberries on the market for some time to come.

Images: ASOEX