Peru added 66 blueberry exporters in 2025 while 47 exporters exited

Although Peru’s blueberry sector continues to show expansion in export volumes, the underlying structure of the industry is changing. In 2025, the export landscape experienced marked turnover, with both new entrants and exits reshaping the market. “2025 witnessed a major restructuring of the export sector,” says Martín Garay, market analyst at Garay Company.

During the year, 66 new companies entered the Peruvian blueberry export market, while 47 exporters active in 2024 exited the sector. This resulted in a net increase in participating companies, but also a more competitive environment with higher financial, technical, and commercial requirements.

“The entry of new players is surprising not only because of the number, but also because of the scale of their arrival,” Garay explains. New exporters include Agrícola Huarmey SAC, with a turnover of US$15.52 million, Ta Export SAC with US$12.61 million, and Reiter Peruvian Berry SA with US$6.89 million. “This confirms that the sector continues to attract significant capital and is raising the bar for entry,” he adds.

At the same time, a number of exporters withdrew from the market. “Some failed to adapt to price volatility or sought opportunities in other sectors,” Garay says. Among those no longer active are Frusan Agro, which recorded more than US$5 million in sales the previous year, Agrícola Isabel with close to US$5 million, and Consorcio JRM SAC, which moved US$965,000.

According to Garay, current market conditions are challenging for less resilient business models. Average prices declined to US$5.31 per kilogram, while supply increased, and buyer requirements for quality, certifications, and logistics became more demanding. These factors have limited the participation of exporters without sufficient financial backing or operational efficiency.

Despite the exits, the total number of exporters is 19 higher than last year. However, this figure does not fully reflect the changes taking place. Rather than uniform growth, the sector is undergoing a process of replacement, with new and more specialised exporters taking the place of companies that were unable to maintain their position.

“The lesson is clear: in agricultural exports, generating millions in revenue one year doesn’t guarantee survival the next,” Garay says. Under tighter margins and increased competition, performance depends on adaptability, risk management, and the structure of production and commercial operations.

As a result, the Peruvian blueberry industry is entering a phase where expansion is increasingly linked to strategy and execution rather than the number of active exporters. New large-scale players continue to enter, others exit, and market conditions continue to determine which companies remain active over time.

Source: Agraria / Blueberries Consulting

December sees more Greek strawberries thanks to increased early plantings and favorable weather

The harvest of the first Greek strawberries in the Ilia region is currently proceeding exceptionally well, while exports are not being hindered by the tractor blockades that have spread across Greece or at the customs on the country’s northern borders, as shipments are, as always, departing from other points.

“We have no issues with distribution. Not yet, at least. Strawberry shipments to Germany and the rest of Europe do not pass through the roads currently blocked by tractors, nor through the customs at the northern borders. They leave, as always, by ship from the port of Patras and reach various markets via Italy,” notes Dimitris Taktikos, owner of Taktikos SA.

Regarding production, he adds: “We are in a good phase; the plants are in really excellent condition because the ‘incubator’, as we call the conditions of the location and the weather at the time of planting, was ideal. Last year, it was very hot, which caused the plants to burn. This year, the rainfall during that period was extremely favorable.”

“These conditions have caused the early ripening of all varieties. The appearance and growth of the plants we see now would have only been visible in February last year. This development, combined with the significant increase in potted plantings, perhaps 100% more than last year, has already brought an early start to our harvest. However, we cannot yet estimate the exact difference in current productivity compared to last year. We are talking about Fortuna, Arwen, and other varieties. Producers have paid great attention to their early varieties,” Taktikos adds.

Early ripening is also expected for Victory, which continues to be the predominant variety in Greek strawberry greenhouses: “As for Victory, it will start giving us very small quantities around Christmas, slightly before or after. Going forward, if there are no complications from very cold weather in January and February, we can expect good quantities of this variety from February 15–20, whereas last year, we received them from March 15–20.”

Finally, the rosy picture is somewhat clouded by competition from Egypt. “We see Egypt ahead, which increases its strawberry cultivation every year, but we are talking about outdoor crops, and their products reach the markets in poor quality. Nevertheless, they put pressure on us and our prices. The prices we are receiving in the first ten days of December are 15–20% lower compared to the same period last year,” notes the Greek exporter.

For more information:
Dimitris Taktikos
Taktikos SA
Tel: +30 262 307 3124
Email: info@taktikos.com.gr
https://taktikos.com.gr/

Patras port clear of blockades. Strawberries depart smoothly for European markets

December sees more Greek strawberries thanks to increased early plantings and favorable weather

The harvest of the first Greek strawberries in the Ilia region is currently proceeding exceptionally well, while exports are not being hindered by the tractor blockades that have spread across Greece or at the customs on the country’s northern borders, as shipments are, as always, departing from other points.

“We have no issues with distribution. Not yet, at least. Strawberry shipments to Germany and the rest of Europe do not pass through the roads currently blocked by tractors, nor through the customs at the northern borders. They leave, as always, by ship from the port of Patras and reach various markets via Italy,” notes Dimitris Taktikos, owner of Taktikos SA.

Regarding production, he adds: “We are in a good phase; the plants are in really excellent condition because the ‘incubator’, as we call the conditions of the location and the weather at the time of planting, was ideal. Last year, it was very hot, which caused the plants to burn. This year, the rainfall during that period was extremely favorable.”

“These conditions have caused the early ripening of all varieties. The appearance and growth of the plants we see now would have only been visible in February last year. This development, combined with the significant increase in potted plantings, perhaps 100% more than last year, has already brought an early start to our harvest. However, we cannot yet estimate the exact difference in current productivity compared to last year. We are talking about Fortuna, Arwen, and other varieties. Producers have paid great attention to their early varieties,” Taktikos adds.

Early ripening is also expected for Victory, which continues to be the predominant variety in Greek strawberry greenhouses: “As for Victory, it will start giving us very small quantities around Christmas, slightly before or after. Going forward, if there are no complications from very cold weather in January and February, we can expect good quantities of this variety from February 15–20, whereas last year, we received them from March 15–20.”

Finally, the rosy picture is somewhat clouded by competition from Egypt. “We see Egypt ahead, which increases its strawberry cultivation every year, but we are talking about outdoor crops, and their products reach the markets in poor quality. Nevertheless, they put pressure on us and our prices. The prices we are receiving in the first ten days of December are 15–20% lower compared to the same period last year,” notes the Greek exporter.

For more information:
Dimitris Taktikos
Taktikos SA
Tel: +30 262 307 3124
Email: info@taktikos.com.gr
https://taktikos.com.gr/

Supply window is Argentina’s competitive advantage in global blueberry landscape

Harvest of Argentina’s 2025 fresh blueberry season started in August and wrapped up early October. However, the commercial window was centered in September. “We moved about 90 percent of our fresh blueberry volume by air during the month of September,” says Bernabé Padilla, Fresh Division Commercial Manager at Citromax. “We were able to benefit from a favorable window as we reached key northern hemisphere markets early.” During the month of September, demand in Europe was very strong and Citromax’s early positioning helped in serving key programs effectively. This early window is one of Argentina’s competitive advantages in the global blueberry landscape.

Europe leads demand
With a share of 60 percent in export volume, Citromax’s fresh blueberries were primarily destined for Europe, followed by the U.S. and Canada. “The U.S purchased about 30 percent of our volume and the remaining 10 percent went to Canada.” Strong demand from the European market in September supported a dynamic pricing environment throughout the month.

Also driving exports this season were strong quality indicators for fresh blueberries. “Stable weather conditions and the absence of significant rainfall during the export period were critical,” commented Padilla. This really helped in securing good fruit firmness, size, and taste – key attributes for air-shipped blueberries.

IQF is largest category
In addition to the fresh category, the company is also reporting solid results in IQF with harvest for the processing segment expected to continue through the end of December. Out of an estimated total production volume of 1,700 tons, about 1,450 tons are channeled into IQF, which makes up the majority of Citromax’s blueberry program. The remaining 250 tons were allocated to the fresh segment. “Together, the fresh and IQF categories reaffirm our role as a leading supplier of organic blueberries from Argentina,” said Padilla.

While total output was robust, it was slightly below expectations due to a late August frost. On a positive note, the impact was contained and did not disrupt the company’s commercial commitments.

Competition from Peru
Despite a favorable supply window, Argentina continues to face intense competition from Peru. “Peru is the dominant exporter during this window and suppliers from South Africa and Zimbabwe are also becoming increasingly relevant, especially in Europe.” Their presence adds new layers of competition for early-season fruit.

Overall, it is Citromax’s goal to continuously deliver high-quality fruit with excellent flavor profiles to premium northern hemisphere markets at the very start of the season. “We attribute our differentiation to a combination of early supply, organic certification, and flavor-driven varieties that are well suited for air transport.”

For more information:
Estefania Scuka
Citromax
escuka@citromax.com.ar
www.citrom

Dried strawberries are a feature of the current Egyptian season

The Egyptian strawberry season started early this year, with a significant increase in acreage and supply, while quality issues reduced the proportion of exportable strawberries. According to several exporters, the start of the season was also marked by a drop in prices compared to last season.

El Sayed El Gohary, Egyptian strawberry grower, explains that many producers had a difficult planting period due to the quality of seedlings, which required vast replantings. He adds: “This problem mainly affected early production and involved plants imported into Egypt last year, and was accompanied by widespread presence of pests. We were able to remedy this through replanting and authorized biological and chemical treatments.”

The producer explains the low prices at the start of the season by the poor quality of certain harvests and assures us that these prices will not dictate the rest of the season. He explains: “The strawberry harvest started earlier than usual this year, in October, while exports to Europe did not begin until mid-November. This led to an abundance of strawberries on the local market and a drop in prices. It should also be noted that the first exports to the Gulf countries were not of the best quality, which explains the low prices. Prices may be slightly lower than last season, but not as low as at the start of the season.”

“Growers who have excellent quality, with good MRL results, will get good prices. For their part, buyers need to pay closer attention to the source of their strawberries this season,” El Gohary continues.

The grower anticipates strong demand for fresh and frozen strawberries during the export season. “We are seeing strong demand. The fresh strawberry season will continue until January in Europe and until March in the Gulf countries, and the frozen strawberry season will start in February. At this pace, Egypt will certainly exceed 500,000 tons of strawberries exported this season.”

In addition to fresh and frozen strawberries, a new export process is emerging in Egypt this season. El Gohary explains: “We are seeing the emergence of drying chambers this season. This is a high-demand sector, as dried strawberries are used in cooking and the food industry in many parts of the world. This process produces very sweet fruit and requires the use of high-quality strawberries with a high Brix level. Usually, Egyptian strawberries are sent to China to be dried and then re-exported, but this industry is being brought to Egypt starting this season. More than 30 drying chambers will be operational starting in January.”

“We anticipate that drying will contribute significantly to sustained demand, as it absorbs large volumes, with 100 tons of dried strawberries requiring 1,000 tons of fresh strawberries,” he concludes.

For more information:
El Sayed El Gohary
Marvel Farm
Tel: +201002496633
Email: azomite2015@gmail.com Publication date: Thu 4 Dec 2025

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