Global blueberry supply growth puts pressure on Polish growers
Global blueberry production continues to increase as new plantations reach maturity, and competition between growing regions intensifies. For Poland, the focus is shifting from expanding volumes to maintaining profitability as global supply rises.
According to the International Blueberry Organization (IBO), global blueberry production reached around 2.33 million tons in 2025 and could exceed 3.36 million tons by 2029. Approximately 45,000 hectares worldwide are not yet in full production, indicating further supply growth.
As availability increases, retailers are placing greater emphasis on firmness, flavor, size, uniformity, and shelf life. Growers therefore face increasing pressure to produce fruit suited to specific markets at competitive costs.
Peru illustrates the changing supply landscape. The country is estimated to have produced around 407,800 tons in the 2025/26 season, with exports approaching 393,800 tons. Production could reach approximately 604,000 tons by 2029. China and other Asia-Pacific countries are also increasing their role in global blueberry supply.
Poland produces around 62,000–64,000 tons of blueberries annually from approximately 13,000 hectares. However, the average blueberry farm covers only around 1.4 hectares. This fragmented structure can make individual investment in cooling, sorting, packing, automation, and harvesting technology difficult.
Producer groups, shared packing and cooling infrastructure, coordinated cultivation, joint marketing, and collective investment could provide additional scale without requiring larger individual farms.
Future development may also focus more on existing plantations than acreage expansion. Variety selection is becoming increasingly important as older cultivars face requirements for firmness, flavor, size, and shelf life. Mechanization, precision crop management, irrigation, and post-harvest cooling could also improve efficiency and consistency.
Poland is unlikely to compete with large growing regions purely on cost or scale. Its position includes proximity to European consumer markets, an established blueberry sector, and experience supplying export markets.
With global blueberry output forecast to continue increasing, Poland’s competitiveness is expected to depend on quality, efficiency, variety selection, automation, market organization, and cooperation between growers. The sector’s ability to coordinate cultivation, post-harvest handling, and marketing could determine its position in the European blueberry market over the coming years.
For more information:
Mariusz Podymniak
Tel: +48 60850 0501
Email: mariusz.podymniak@hortusmedia.pl
