China: The blueberry season began about 20 days early and ended with stable volumes in Yunnan

The blueberry season in China’s Yunnan Province proceeded as usual, despite starting nearly 20 days earlier than in a typical year, driven by a warmer winter and above-average temperatures during the first few months of the year. This was reported by Wang Shuyao, founder of Honghe Anmei Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., a company specializing in blueberry production in growing media that works with more than 300 growers in the region.

The company primarily grows its crops in the Honghe area, where it cultivates 187 hectares of low-chill-requirement Southern Highbush varieties, including Sunrise, Eureka, and Magic. In addition, it maintains 40 hectares of Northern Highbush varieties in Lijiang, a higher-altitude region.

The harvest was about 20 days early

As Wang explained, flowering and fruit set progressed satisfactorily in lower-altitude production areas, such as Honghe Mengzi, although some varieties, including Eureka, experienced certain fruit-setting difficulties in Lijiang, located 2,500 meters above sea level. Flowering began in early March, approximately one month earlier than usual.

This early timing was also reflected in the harvest. In the lower-altitude production areas, where work normally concludes around May 20, most of the fruit had already been harvested by the end of April. As a result, the season ended between late April and early May.

Quality and yields in line with expectations

Despite the unusual weather conditions during the growing season, production results were in line with expectations. As Wang noted, heavy rains during the growing season, combined with a warm winter and prolonged periods of cloud cover, led to nutritional deficiencies in many orchards. These conditions reduced irrigation needs and complicated fertilization schedules on some farms. However, he added that these factors did not have a significant impact on production or fruit quality.

One of the main challenges of the season was thrips control, which became the primary pest pressure in Yunnan. Although preventive applications remained standard practice, the grower noted that the pest was particularly difficult to control this year.

Labor Shortages Drive Up Costs

From a commercial perspective, the season also saw significant changes. Wang noted that domestic market prices fell rapidly after the Chinese New Year, reaching between 20 and 30 yuan per kilogram (USD 2.95–4.42) by the end of March.

At the same time, the industry’s strong expansion has led to a widespread labor shortage in the main production areas, driving harvesting costs up from 3–4 yuan per kilogram (USD 0.44–0.59) to 7–10 yuan (USD 1.03–1.47) per kilogram.

Looking ahead to the next season, the producer anticipates market behavior similar to that observed this year, with high prices before the Chinese New Year and a subsequent decline. On the production side, he expects to maintain stable quality, though he notes that the availability of workers will remain one of the main challenges to orchard profitability.

Yunnan Strengthens Its Position as a Leading Production Hub

Currently, Yunnan is establishing itself as China’s leading blueberry-producing region, with a harvest of nearly 300,000 tons and an estimated production area of between 400,000 and 500,000 mu (between 26,700 and 33,300 hectares).

Exports are concentrated between March and May, mainly to Southeast Asia and, increasingly, to Russia. During this period, varieties adapted to high temperatures—such as F6, Magica, and Planasa 42—stand out, accounting for a large portion of the fruit destined for export markets.

Wang also observes a growing specialization among the province’s different production zones based on their altitude. While lower-elevation areas, such as Honghe and Wenshan, continue to focus on early production for export between February and May, higher-altitude zones are developing production models aimed at covering specific market windows throughout much of the year.

In the case of his operation, high-altitude production of Northern Highbush varieties in Lijiang allows him to supply the market between June and August, a period when the supply of quality fruit declines in other producing regions of the country.