Blueberry cultivation in the world

Just as other fruit crops such as strawberries, grapes, cherries, and kiwi have done very well in countries such as Spain, the United States, and Chile, just to name a few, blueberry cultivation has also paved the way in an agricultural market that looks increasingly promising.

The blueberry is one of the most recently introduced fruits in the world’s fruit supply; however, its production and consumption have increased exponentially in recent years.

What is the current situation of blueberry cultivation?

In North America, Canada and the United States are currently the largest producers of cultivated blueberries in the world, with an estimated 490 million pounds in an area of almost 110 thousand acres.

In South America, there is a very peculiar situation, since Chile stands out as the second-largest producer of blueberries in the world, even though it is a crop recently introduced in the region (early 80’s).

However, Chile has been gradually moving forward in the cultivation of blueberries with a production of more than 110 million pounds in an area of just over 32 thousand acres, which represents 90% of the production in this part of the continent.

There are other countries in the region where blueberries are also grown but to a lesser extent. This is the case in Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Likewise, in other southern hemisphere countries such as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, blueberry cultivation has managed to thrive significantly.

In the case of Europe, according to information on the website Serida, the main blueberry-producing countries are Poland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Blueberries are also grown in regions such as Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland.

According to this website “new producing areas are also emerging, such as Morocco in Africa or Japan and China in Asia.”

The specific case of blueberry cultivation in Spain

It is known that, by the end of the 1960s, the first commercial blueberry plot had been installed in Tineo, Asturias. However, it was in the 1980s when the first professional crops began to appear in this Community and Galicia.

In the 1990s, the cultivation of this fruit began in Huelva on a plot of land of approximately 7 acres, which progressively increased.

Huelva is the province in Spain that produces the highest number of blueberries, being ranked as the largest producing area in Europe for early spring harvesting.

We invite you to read our success story of blueberry cultivation in Portugal using a simpler and more economical structure compared to traditional high tunnels that are ideal for geographical areas with more extreme temperatures.

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