The markets receive more and more fruit from multiple origins and the Chilean blueberries have more and more competitors. Some years ago, we were the international buyers' only supplier of blueberries between December and March, but nowadays we are not the only ones and we are not necessarily their first option. Is there still space in the market for the supply of fresh blueberries from Chile? We need to generate a much more consistent quality offer, if we want to have a good participation in the current competitive market. Our fruit isn't bad, but it is less consistent if we compare ourselves with other countries that are closer to the markets and that started in this business later than we did by planting new and better varieties. In Chile, we have a multiplicity of varieties, producers, and productive regions, as well as longer transit times to the main destination markets, which poses a major challenge to arrive consistently with the quality parameters required. An important part of our production has already left the fresh market and is exported as frozen. In 2018 the country exported more than 44 thousand tons of frozen blueberries, i.e. almost 30% of the national production. This fruit has been gradually taken out of the fresh market because it doesn't have the necessary condition to be in it in a few weeks. It has also been a response to the need for fumigation for the US, and a lot of the organic product has been derived to frozen. 27% of frozen blueberry exports in 2018 were organic, while only 12% were fresh. To reverse this trend and to position ourselves as the best option in the different markets, it is necessary to make an effective selection of varieties and orchard management, focused on obtaining greater consistency. Some varieties no longer have the potential to be exported by sea, and the space for air shipments practically disappeared. Others may do it only partially, so its fundamental to consider the harvest periods by variety and a harvest management that takes into consideration more strict frequencies, harvest schedules, as well as the prevailing climatic conditions. Being more restrictive in these processes and in cold and packaging management will mean having less fruit that meets these standards in the short term, but having a fruit that can enter the competition in better conditions. We also need to work on shortening transport times, which in recent seasons have been too long. We have very good quality fruit but, as it isn't consistent, the quality perception of the whole fruit is affected. We need to be able to generate an offer that differentiates itself and that showcases the best we have. The world's consumption of blueberries continues to grow, and in some markets it is still at a very early stage, so there is a clear opportunity for the industry to continue developing. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com/