Preface
On May 8, the customs issued an announcement on the requirements for the import of Serbian fresh blueberries: from now on, Serbian fresh blueberries that meet the relevant requirements are allowed to be imported.
You must know that Serbia is one of the largest blueberry producers in Europe, and the quality of blueberries is very good, and the taste and nutritional value are particularly high, so they are favored by the international market. As a big consumer of blueberries, the mainland needs to go to a large number of blueberries every year.
According to the data, the annual demand for blueberries in the mainland is about 1 million tons. Although the domestic production is also very high, it is not enough to meet the needs of all consumers, so a large number of blueberries are imported internationally.
Serbian blueberry plantations
After meeting all the requirements, Serbian blueberries were selected, which is about to inject new vitality into the Chinese blueberry market and meet the consumer demand for high-quality blueberries. Local businesses are also ready to make a big splash and seize this great opportunity.
Serbia's Blueberry Industry: Europe's "Blue Gold"
Serbia's blueberry industry has exploded in recent years, and the country has about 2,500 hectares of modern blueberry plantations with a high degree of mechanization.
Serbian blueberries are on the market in Europe about half a month earlier than in other countries. It is precisely because of this time difference that Serbia's blueberry sales are very extensive, and the export value has soared, from 3.58 million euros in 2018 to 27.19 million euros in 2022.
The total production of blueberries in 2022 reached 6,500 tons, and some unofficial statistics even believe that the annual output has exceeded 7,500 tons. For a country with a population of just over 6 million, this is not a small number.
Serbian blueberries are mainly sold to countries such as France, Germany, Poland and Russia, but the country is also looking to open up markets in the Middle East and Asia. As blueberries from Serbia and other countries begin to enter the Chinese market, the fierce competition will surely bring more benefits to Chinese consumers.
Because of the frequent export to various countries, a series of processes of Serbian blueberries have been greatly improved, including refrigeration, quality inspection, packaging, logistics and other aspects are becoming more and more standardized and refined, and the continuous upgrading of products is also more conducive to export.
There is also a possibility of a new increase in blueberry production in Serbia this year, as there are no significant frost disasters this spring. In addition, the industrial planting area continues to expand, and local enterprises have also introduced new varieties to improve the quality of blueberries, which is more conducive to the export of blueberries after integrating the production and trade of new technologies.
Will all blueberries be localized in the future?
The answer is yes!
China's blueberry industry is in a stage of rapid development. As of 2021, China's blueberry planting area reached 69,000 hectares, with an output of 474,100 tons. At present, the domestic demand for blueberries is far from being satisfied, and the domestic demand is met first, and then the quality is raised, so that we can talk about exporting abroad.
Although it started late, with the increase in market demand, the domestic supply has gradually increased. At the end of 2023, due to climatic factors, the market of blueberries in domestic facilities, especially early-maturing varieties in Yunnan, was brought forward to November, driving prices down.
Some experts predict that the mainland blueberry industry will have a golden development period of about 15 years. The mainland is also the most suitable country for growing blueberries in the world, using solar greenhouses to cultivate early-maturing varieties, the mainland can achieve an ultra-long supply period of nearly 10 months from November to August of the following year, which is not possible in many foreign countries.
The temperature difference between day and night in the blueberry growing areas of the mainland is large, and the quality will far exceed that of imported blueberries that have been transported over long distances.
At present, the domestic blueberry planting area is also expanding, and more and more enterprises and growers are joining the emerging berry industry. At present, according to the sales volume, the mainland blueberry market still has a broad space for development.
You must know that in 2022, the per capita sales of blueberries in the United States will be 2.63kg, while the per capita sales in China will only be 0.26kg, and the growth space in the middle is very large.
As early as 2008, Lenovo as the leading company began to invest in blueberry planting. It can be seen how optimistic the capital market is about the future development potential of blueberries, and the development of the mainland blueberry industry has also changed from the promotion mode of "expert technical guidance" to the industrialization model of "capital and market leadership".
As of 2023, the number of blueberry-growing provinces in mainland China has expanded from the initial 10 to 27. Whether it is Heilongjiang or Hainan in the north. All of them have set off a wave of large-scale blueberry planting.
But even if the number of domestic blueberries increases, mainland blueberries may also become. It is a big exporter, but it will still import blueberries from other countries, so that consumers have more choice.
Netizens speculated that blueberries were about to fall off the altar, not far from "10 yuan and 3 catties".
Some netizens boldly speculated that in the future, blueberries will also fall sharply like Sunshine Rose, after all, they are very popular fruits, and Sunshine Rose also experienced its peak at the beginning, and the price can reach hundreds of yuan a pound at the highest.
With the increasing planting area, the cultivation level and concept of growers are different, resulting in uneven quality of sunshine roses, and the price has gradually fallen, even falling to 5 yuan a catty, so it is convenient for netizens to feel that blueberries will also fall to the altar in the future, not far from 10 yuan and 3 catties, or 9.9 yuan a catty in the future is the norm.
Now many blueberries in supermarkets are sold for 9.9 yuan for 125 grams. In this way, one pound will reach about 40 yuan, which is still very expensive for ordinary consumers
However, the price of 10 yuan and 3 catties may not be reached, because in Yunnan, the cost of fine harvesting of blueberries can reach 8 yuan per catty, even if it is picked normally, the cost per catty will be between 2.5~3 yuan, which is only the cost of harvesting, not to mention the follow-up packaging and packaging, so the price will not fall to a particularly low level
The cost of harvesting, sorting, packaging, and transportation of fresh blueberries is relatively high, which is the main reason why the price of blueberries will not decline rapidly.
In addition to the fresh blueberry market, there is also a processed products market for blueberries. For example, dried blueberries, blueberry wine, blueberry yogurt and other processed forms have made the blueberry market very extensive.
As an ordinary consumer, I must still hope that the price of these fruits will be lower and lower, after all, the price of a small box of 9.9 yuan or a small box of more than a dozen yuan is still expensive in general.
I also hope that there will be more and more domestic blueberries, coupled with continuous imports from abroad, to bring down the price of blueberries in the market!