One of Peru's largest table grape growers has begun its first ever blueberry exports, amid plans to double hectarage  and introduce new varieties currently under trial.

Don Ricardo's Snowchaser blueberry plantings

Ica-based Don Ricardo planted its first blueberries in 2014, and last year harvested a few thousand kilos that were exported by another company.

"Last year we had production but it was very small and this will be first year that we’re going to be exporting through ourselves," sales manager Salvador Garcés told www.freshfruitportal.com during the Expoalimentaria press tour organized by the Peruvian Exporters' Association (ADEX).

Volumes are expected to grow 10-fold this season to 60 metric tons (MT), and increase further next year as the plants approach full production.

Most of the fruit will be shipped to Europe and the U.S., with smaller volumes going to the U.K. Garcés said shipments may also go to China, if the protocols are signed as expected in November.

The Ventura variety represents around a third of the plantings, alongside Emerald, Snowchaser, Jewel, and Biloxi.

An additional five varieties - Suzie blue, Sapphire, Windsor, Millennia and Abundancia - are under trials with several hundred plants each.

Garcés explained it was important for Don Ricardo to grow a range of varieties with different characteristics to boost marketing potential.

Don Ricardo sales manager Salvador Garcés

"There are some varieties that are going to give a good size, some others than are going to give higher acidity, and others that will give higher production. So with these different varieties we have different possibilities," he said.

"We first did a small trial on two hectares. Blueberries are very demanding in terms of soil and water, so we initially made a lot of mistakes on these test plantings, but we learned a lot.

"We didn't know too much about how these different varieties were going to be able to adapt to this specific environment and microclimate. If we did what most of the Peruvian growers do in this area to the south of Lima, we would have done Biloxi, which is very productive but doesn't travel too well."

Don Ricardo has an agreement with U.S.-based blueberry nursery Fall Creek, which made recommendations as to which varieties to plant and regularly sends advisors to visit.

Harvesting began in late August and is expected to run through December, but Garcés said as blueberries were relatively new for the company it was unclear when peaks volumes for certain varieties would come.

"It is a crop that we don’t necessarily know too much about like how it behaves depending on the weather or the temperatures," he said.

The Peruvian grower also has a further 20 hectares of farmland that is being prepared for more blueberry plantings soon, which will contribute to Peru's significant growth in the near future.

Public entity Sierra Exportadora said in August that national production this season should more than double year-on-year to 20,000MT, with the planted hectarage rising from 2,500 to 3,200. 

Despite the huge growth expected in the coming years, Garcés said he expected it to be a sustainable business for a while longer.

"It is a very diverse product, you can consume it in yogurt, salads, juices, so if demand keeps growing we believe this is going to be a sustainable production for at least the next seven to 10 years," he said.

"But that doesn't mean we think the price is going to stay as it is now, it would be unrealistic to think that. We understand the price is going to go down, but one of the goals we have is to reduce costs."

Don Ricardo produces table grapes across nearly 900 hectares, and holds a licence from U.S.-based Sun World to grow its exclusive varieties. The company also has 283 hectares of citrus, which were acquired in 2012, and 170 hectares of avocados.

www.frehsfruitportal.com