In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, we analyze future challenges of the Mexican blueberry industry. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

In the last decade, global blueberry production and consumption have experienced remarkable growth, driven by improvements in quality due to new genetic varieties, year-round fruit availability, and a significant increase in marketing budgets.

In this global expansion context, Mexico and Peru have played crucial roles, especially in the Americas, as reflected in a notable increase in their exports. Mexico, in particular, has consolidated its position as a key supplier of fresh blueberries to the United States, standing out during the months of March and April.

However, the past season presented unforeseen challenges due to the El Niño phenomenon, which coincided with the export periods of Mexico, Peru, and Chile, as well as U.S. domestic production. This phenomenon caused a shortage of blueberries in the U.S. market, resulting in unprecedented price volatility.

Mexico benefits from its geographic proximity to markets such as the United States and Canada, which provides a competitive advantage in terms of logistics costs and average prices. Currently, more than 85% of Mexico's blueberry exports are destined for the United States, which, while offering a significant advantage, also implies a high dependency on a single market. This single-market focus represents both a challenge and an opportunity to diversify into new markets and increase domestic consumption.

By the end of the 2023 calendar year, Mexico exported 73,000 metric tons of blueberries, positioning itself as the third-largest global exporter, surpassing Chile and ranking behind Peru and the Netherlands. However, the export trend for 2024 has shown a decrease, which will be analyzed in the upcoming  Launch of the 2024 IBO State of the Global Blueberry Industry Report.

To maintain continuous growth, Mexico must focus on the quality of its fruit, primarily adopting patented varieties and gradually reducing the production of Biloxi. Additionally, it is crucial to consolidate its presence in the U.S. market while exploring new opportunities in European, Asian markets, and domestic consumption.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.

All pricing for domestic US produce represents the spot market at Shipping Point (i.e. packing house/climate controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the pricing data represents the spot market at Port of Entry.

You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.