Chiclayo, one of Peru’s leading blueberry-producing regions, has become a hub of technical knowledge for the sector with the launch of the 1st International Specialization Course on Blueberry Production.
The successful event, organized by CASM Blueberries and attended by more than 300 participants, took place at the Casa Andina Hotel in Chiclayo. It featured a full day of technical presentations, followed by a Field Day on July 1, providing attendees with the opportunity to complement the theoretical sessions with hands-on experience in the field.
The opening day began with welcoming remarks by Sebastián Ochoa, director of CASM Blueberries and founder of Blueberries News, together with Agustina Martínez, General Manager of Blueberries News, who highlighted the importance of creating training and technical update spaces to strengthen the industry’s development.
“The topics we are addressing are highly relevant and respond to the current reality facing the industry: El Niño, high temperatures, and the situations we have observed over the past three weeks while visiting different fields across Peru and meeting with growers,” the advisor explained.
“My objective was to convey the main problems growers are currently facing, how they can solve them, and provide practical tools to address them. Rather than delving into theory or physiological details, I aimed to focus on identifying the issues from an agronomic perspective and how to solve them,” Ochoa commented.
Physiology, climate and production strategies
The first presentation was delivered by Sebastián Ochoa, who spoke on “Applied blueberry physiology: foundations for agronomic management in Peru,” addressing key aspects to optimize orchard productivity performance.
Later, Felipe Costa, International Director of CIIFEN, analyzed “Climate outlook for northern Peru: lessons from El Niño and challenges for future agriculture,” providing an updated perspective on the climatic conditions that could influence the season.
“We consider it very important to participate in this type of forums, as part of our work involves monitoring the El Niño phenomenon, understanding its impacts, and analyzing the climatic outlook it may generate. We are currently at a particularly relevant moment, as El Niño has already set in with intensity and projections indicate that its effects could persist over the coming months,” Costa explained.
Next, Antonia Maggiolo, Head of R&D at CASM Blueberries, together with Fernando Villagrán, international advisor on blueberry production, presented the talk “Applied research in nutrition and biostimulation: results and strategies to optimize yield and quality,” sharing experiences and results obtained from different research programs.
“My presentation was mainly focused on nutrition in relation to what we are doing in Peru. I presented several case studies from the fields we are advising, along with production results and the technical nutritional management practices we apply to achieve an excellent product that is exported from Peru to the world,” explained the international advisor at CASM Blueberries.
Markets, genetics and future trends
The program continued with a presentation by David Sandoval, international market analyst and CEO of Fluctante, who addressed “Lambayeque: a strategic player in northern Peru’s agro-export sector,” highlighting the region’s role in the growth of the country’s agricultural exports.
For his part, Simón Muñoz, international advisor on blueberry production at CASM Blueberries, delivered the presentation “Where is the blueberry industry heading? Global trends and new varieties for northern Peru,” where he analyzed the changes shaping the evolution of the sector worldwide.
From the United States, Dr. Patricio Muñoz, a specialist in plant breeding, provided an in-depth look at the development of new varieties with his presentation “The genetics behind the future: how the varieties that will drive the next stage of blueberries are developed.”
A strategic outlook on the future of Peruvian blueberries
The day concluded with the panel discussion “The future of Peruvian blueberries: the perspective of those leading the industry,” moderated by Simón Muñoz.
The session brought together leading industry representatives, including Alfredo Lira, founder and CEO of Agroleal; Miguel Bentín, General Manager of Valle y Pampa Perú; Carlos Luna, Operations Director at Agrícola Cerro Prieto; and Pablo Eyheralde, CEO of Unifrutti Perú, who shared their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that will shape the development of the Peruvian blueberry industry in the coming years.
