After nearly four years of negotiations led by the Asocolblue and Arándanos de Colombia associations, Colombian blueberries have officially been approved for export to Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said that the product was authorized under a trial period, a process that all fresh temperate fruits entering the country must comply with. 

All shipments will be inspected to standardize inspection rates, a standard procedure that Canada has in place to reinforce food safety during exports.

“This new eligibility is a reflection of the work that the Institute is doing together with the public and private sectors and small, medium and large producers, to continue strengthening exports and achieving greater opportunities for our agricultural and commercial production sector," said Juan Fernando Roa, general manager the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA).

Colombia has a total blueberry planted area of approximately 650 hectares, with a projected growth to 1,000 hectares or more in the next five years. 

About 90% of growers in those production regions are small farmers.

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"Canada could become one of the most interesting export destinations for this fruit, taking into account that it has a large per capita consumption with about 1.2 kg per person," Juan Guillermo González, Produce Division GM of Elite Blu Produce / Elite Flower, the largest exporter of Colombian blueberries, told FreshFruitPortal.com

Colombia currently exports blueberries to the U.S., Russia, Singapore, Guatemala, the EU Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Panama, Thailand, United Kingdom and Switzerland.