Argentina more than doubled its shipments of blueberries in October 2010 compared with the same month in 2009, according to government customs figures reported by Argentine website infocampo.com.ar.

The average price per kilogram for the fruit was higher last month as well, the website reported.

In October, Argentina shipped 4,965.8 tons of blueberries, compared with 2,367.6 tons in October 2009, a 110% increase. Last month, the average price per kilogram was US $10.63, compared with US $10.20 last year, a 4.2% increase, according to the figures. About 16% of export declarations reported prices above $15/kg, according to the figures.

The United States imported the most blueberries, taking in 70.3% of the exports, followed by the European Union (21.9%), Canada (4.9%) and Hong Kong (1.4%), the website said.

Blueberries will reach their peak consumption later this month when the United States celebrates Thanksgiving on Nov. 24.

The Argentinian Blueberry Committee announced last week that the large early shipments of the fruit had caused a drop in prices that was likely to recover as promotional activities started in the United States and Europe.

The blueberry harvest window for Argentina runs from mid-September to mid-November.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com