The success of the blueberry on the external market is obvious and the effects are reflected on the frozen fruit, with shipments that, solely due to February exports, reached 28,537 tons, growing 150% regarding the same month of 2009, according to numbers of Odepa. In value, the increase is even bigger: US$ 94, 128 in February, growing 347,3% more.
According to the president of Chilealimentos, Guillermo Gonz? ? lez, this is due "on the one hand to a more active demand for this product on the international level and on the other, to the natural tendency shown by most fruit exports which are getting stronger".
Gonz? ? lez explains that blueberry "in the initial phase, shows an important rise in the exports of fresh product, but when the volumes get higher, the industrial phase in which the processed food is developed gets a more important role". Because of that, "in the present season, until January, some 42,000 tons of blueberry were sent, the frozen ones - destined mainly to US, Canada, EU and Japan - represented already some 10% of that volume", he added.
According to the president of Chilealimentos, Guillermo Gonz? ? lez, this is due "on the one hand to a more active demand for this product on the international level and on the other, to the natural tendency shown by most fruit exports which are getting stronger".
Gonz? ? lez explains that blueberry "in the initial phase, shows an important rise in the exports of fresh product, but when the volumes get higher, the industrial phase in which the processed food is developed gets a more important role". Because of that, "in the present season, until January, some 42,000 tons of blueberry were sent, the frozen ones - destined mainly to US, Canada, EU and Japan - represented already some 10% of that volume", he added.
