The blueberry production season is unfolding under very different conditions across the world’s growing regions. While some countries have faced excessive rainfall, poor fruit set, or increased pest and disease pressure, others are enjoying favorable campaigns driven by new varieties, rising demand, and improved growing conditions.
From Europe to Latin America, growers and industry representatives share their views on the progress of the current season, the main challenges facing orchards, and the commercial outlook for the coming months. Although each region has its own reality, one common theme emerges: the need to adapt to increasingly variable climatic conditions and a global market that continues to evolve.
Austria: an earlier harvest driven by higher temperatures
Austria’s blueberry season is expected to begin earlier than usual. According to Manfred Schneider, an organic blueberry grower, the unusually warm temperatures recorded during the final weeks of May accelerated orchard development and will allow harvesting to begin earlier than last year.
However, weather remains one of the industry’s greatest sources of uncertainty. Following two weeks of intense heat and dry conditions, the region experienced an extended period of rainfall, highlighting the increasing climate variability that is becoming characteristic of blueberry production.
Austria’s main blueberry-growing region is located in southeastern Styria, a mountainous area recognized for producing high-quality fruit. Schneider currently cultivates 25 hectares of organic blueberries and plans to double that area over the next three to four years, reflecting the industry’s continued confidence in future growth.
Serbia: positive outlook in a strategic market window
Serbia’s blueberry season is progressing well, although conditions have varied across the country’s different production regions.
Dejan Djusic, General Manager of First Blueberry, explains that climatic events such as frost and strong winds have affected each region differently. Nevertheless, maintaining optimal plant health and physiological condition remains the industry’s primary challenge to ensure strong yields and high fruit quality.
One of Serbia’s greatest competitive advantages continues to be its production window, which typically coincides with periods of strong international demand and attractive market prices. According to Djusic, this season’s commercial outlook remains positive due to relatively tight global supply.
However, the industry also faces growing challenges, including increasing competition from countries such as Georgia, Turkey, and Egypt, whose production calendars partially overlap with Serbia’s, as well as the continued rise in fertilizer and fuel costs.
Commercial blueberry production in Serbia began just over fifteen years ago and is concentrated mainly around the city of Šabac, one of the country’s fastest-growing blueberry-producing areas.
Georgia: strong production potential and new export opportunities
Georgia’s blueberry industry is preparing for what could become one of its most promising seasons in recent years. Despite an unusually cold and rainy spring, growers remain optimistic thanks to a heavy fruit load and the overall good condition of their orchards.
According to Tornike Phanjavidze, President of the Georgian Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA), this season has progressed without the extreme weather events that severely affected production last year. Unlike the 2025 season, when heavy snowfall and frost caused significant losses in several regions, this year no major cold-related damage has been recorded.
Although localized frost risks occurred during flowering, preventive measures successfully minimized their impact. Phanjavidze notes that the industry can now report virtually no frost damage.
The season’s main challenge has been excessive rainfall. Georgia received approximately 700 millimeters of rain during the spring, considerably more than in previous years. This raised concerns about pollination and forced growers to increase the use of both bumblebees and honeybees to ensure adequate flower fertilization.
Low temperatures and reduced solar radiation also slowed vegetative growth, requiring growers to carry out crop protection and nutritional applications within very narrow time windows to prevent disease and maintain adequate calcium and micronutrient levels.
Despite these challenges, production prospects remain highly encouraging. The association estimates that Georgia’s blueberry production could increase by approximately 40% compared with last season, driven by strong fruit set and the entry of new plantings into commercial production.
From a commercial perspective, expanding into new export markets remains a strategic priority. Georgia is currently negotiating access to additional destinations, particularly in Asia, where the industry sees significant growth opportunities over the coming years.
According to Phanjavidze, the ultimate success of the season will depend largely on weather conditions during harvest. If rainfall and high temperatures remain under control, Georgia could experience one of the strongest blueberry seasons in its recent history.
Morocco: a season marked by lower production volumes
Morocco’s blueberry season ended with lower results than those achieved last year. According to Nabil Belmkaddem of Best Berry, production declined by between 30% and 40% compared to the previous season, primarily due to unfavorable weather conditions during a critical stage of crop development.
More than two months of cloudy weather and rainfall negatively affected fruit set, resulting in increased flower drop and a significant reduction in the production potential of the orchards. As a result, final volumes fell well below initial expectations.
From a phytosanitary standpoint, the season was relatively uneventful. However, growers once again faced the typical late-season challenges associated with Drosophila suzukii, one of the greatest threats to fruit quality during the final weeks of harvest.
Belmkaddem also highlighted issues related to fruit coloration. According to him, a significant proportion of the crop remained reddish and failed to develop the characteristic deep blue color of fully ripe blueberries, a phenomenon observed more frequently than in previous seasons.
The harvest has now concluded, and growers began pruning activities at the end of May, marking the start of preparations for the next production cycle.
Commercially, continental Europe and the United Kingdom remain the primary destinations for Moroccan blueberries. However, North America continues to gain importance each year, receiving increasing volumes of fruit. In contrast, the Russian market has become less significant due to the rapid expansion of Chinese production, which now supplies a substantial share of Russia’s demand.
China: Yunnan strengthens its leadership in a rapidly expanding industry
Yunnan Province continues to reinforce its position as China’s leading blueberry-producing region, within an industry that is expanding rapidly in both planted area and production volume.
According to Wang Shuyao, founder of Honghe Anmei Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., the 2026 season progressed relatively normally, although it started approximately 20 days earlier than usual. This was mainly the result of a warmer-than-average winter and unusually high temperatures during the first months of the year.
The company currently cultivates 187 hectares of low-chill Southern Highbush blueberries in Honghe, along with 40 hectares of Northern Highbush varieties in Lijiang, a higher-altitude production area.
Weather conditions accelerated both flowering and harvest. In the lower-altitude regions, where the season typically ends around May 20, most of the fruit had already been harvested by the end of April.
Despite abundant rainfall and prolonged periods of cloud cover during the growing season, results remained within expected parameters. According to Wang, these conditions led to nutritional deficiencies in some orchards because lower irrigation requirements and limited opportunities for fertilizer applications disrupted nutrition programs. Nevertheless, the overall impact on fruit quality and total production was limited.
Thrips emerged as the primary phytosanitary challenge of the season. Although preventive control measures are routinely implemented, pest pressure was particularly intense this year, requiring additional management efforts.
Commercially, prices in the domestic market declined rapidly following the Chinese New Year. By the end of March, prices had fallen to between 20 and 30 yuan per kilogram, reflecting increasing domestic supply.
At the same time, the industry’s rapid expansion is creating a growing labor shortage. According to Wang, harvesting costs have nearly doubled compared with previous years, becoming one of the greatest threats to future profitability.
Today, Yunnan produces approximately 300,000 metric tons of blueberries and has an estimated planted area of between 26,700 and 33,300 hectares. The province has also become a major supplier to export markets, particularly Southeast Asia and Russia.
As the industry evolves, Yunnan’s production regions are becoming increasingly specialized according to elevation. Lower-altitude areas focus on early-season fruit destined for export, while higher-altitude regions target specific summer marketing windows, extending the availability of premium-quality blueberries throughout much of the year.
India: rising domestic consumption creates new opportunities
The blueberry season is progressing favorably in India, where the continued expansion of the domestic market remains one of the industry’s primary growth drivers.
According to Siva Varma, Senior Vice President of Namdhari Group, most growers have already completed harvesting, while the company is just beginning to pick varieties such as Sekoya Crunch and Sekoya Grande. Harvesting of Sekoya Pop will follow, extending fruit availability through January.
One of India’s greatest competitive strengths lies in the diversity of its agroclimatic regions. By utilizing high-altitude growing areas, producers enjoy considerable flexibility in scheduling pruning operations and staggering production throughout the year.
Nevertheless, the high summer temperatures have created some uncertainty regarding their potential impact on fruit size and eating quality. Although it is still too early to determine the final effects, fruit performance over the coming months will be closely monitored by the industry.
For now, strong growth in domestic consumption continues to absorb much of the country’s production. However, as planted acreage expands, growers see increasing opportunities to strengthen their presence in international markets and take advantage of new marketing windows during periods when supply from other producing countries declines.
Australia: stable production and positive outlook for the winter season
Australia’s blueberry season is progressing with positive results, supported by strong production levels, excellent fruit quality, and favorable prices. According to Roger Horak, Founder and Executive Chairman of United Exports (OZblu), harvesting of the earliest varieties began in February and will continue almost uninterrupted until the start of the main season in August.
Production remains active every week, with consistent volumes and fruit quality that continues to meet market expectations. According to Horak, no extraordinary events have affected this season, allowing the Australian industry to anticipate a stable campaign.
From a climatic perspective, Australia is entering its winter rainfall season. However, the precipitation recorded so far has not had any significant negative impact on production. This is due, in part, to the performance of varieties specifically bred to tolerate these environmental conditions.
Looking ahead, the outlook remains favorable, with opportunities to further expand production throughout the Australian winter while maintaining a consistent supply of premium-quality fruit.
Peru: variety performance will depend on weather conditions
Peru’s blueberry industry is entering a season in which weather conditions have had a significant impact on the performance of several of the country’s leading varieties.
According to Carlos Díaz, Operations Manager at Agroberries Peru, overall growing conditions have not been particularly favorable, although the effects have varied depending on the genetics. Under these circumstances, Ventura has proven to be the most sensitive variety, while Mágica (OZblu) and Sekoya Pop have demonstrated relatively greater stability.
At present, Pop is running slightly ahead of its usual production schedule, while Mágica remains on track. Ventura, by contrast, is showing some delays and a lighter fruit load. Díaz notes that final production volumes will depend largely on weather conditions during the coming weeks.
One of the most influential factors this season has been the rainfall recorded in the Olmos production area. These rains affected early fruit size, particularly in the first harvested blocks of Sekoya Pop, where berries were initially smaller than historical averages. However, field evaluations indicate signs of recovery, allowing expectations for gradual improvement as the season progresses.
From a phytosanitary standpoint, conditions remain relatively well controlled. The primary concerns have been increased populations of mealybugs and higher-than-normal thrips pressure. In contrast, diseases have not represented a significant issue so far.
The high temperatures experienced over recent months have also had positive effects on vegetative growth. According to Díaz, plants have developed substantial biomass, particularly in later-pruned blocks, creating favorable expectations for the next stages of production.
From a market perspective, Ventura remains one of the industry’s biggest concerns. Peru has approximately 5,000 hectares planted with this variety, meaning that any significant reduction in production could directly affect fruit availability during the months leading up to the season’s production peak.
Weather conditions throughout June and July will be decisive in determining the final outcome of the season. For now, the company’s internal projections estimate production reductions of approximately 30% for Ventura and around 5% for the remaining varieties, although final results will depend on how weather conditions evolve over the coming weeks.
Chile: new genetics and improved winter chill boost expectations
Following a season marked by challenging weather conditions, Chile’s blueberry industry enters the new production cycle with renewed optimism, driven by improved winter chill accumulation and the growing importance of high-performing new varieties.
Francisco Enríquez, Southern Region Agricultural Manager at Prize Chile, recalls that last season presented multiple challenges. Lower winter chill accumulation, combined with higher spring temperatures, advanced harvest by nearly two weeks compared with a normal year. This shortened the optimal production period and affected both fruit development and quality.
These challenges were compounded by rainfall during critical harvest periods and episodes of high temperatures in late December and early January, which caused significant damage to both harvestable fruit and developing berries. Despite these difficulties, orchards finished the season in good physiological condition.
For the upcoming season, indicators point to a more favorable scenario. According to Enríquez, winter chill accumulation is approximately 37% higher than last year, an especially important factor for the high-chill varieties now entering commercial production in southern Chile.
Rainfall, however, has been considerably below average. Some regions report reductions exceeding 50% compared with a normal year, while parts of the far south have recorded deficits approaching 90%. Although these dry conditions have facilitated winter activities such as pruning and road maintenance, they also create uncertainty regarding weather conditions expected during spring.
One of the industry’s main areas of expansion involves the new Sekoya varieties. In the Los Ángeles region, approximately 70 hectares of Sekoya Crunch will enter production this season, while additional commercial plantings of Sekoya Grande and Sekoya Crunch move into their second production year. New orchards are also coming into production in Ñuble, Biobío, and Los Lagos.
According to Enríquez, weather remains the industry’s greatest challenge. Forecasts associated with El Niño suggest increased rainfall during flowering and fruit set, two highly sensitive stages of crop development. In response, the company has strengthened both its frost protection programs and its phytosanitary management strategies to prepare for potential extreme weather events.
Despite these risks, expectations for the new genetics remain very high. Enríquez highlights the outstanding performance of varieties such as Sekoya Crunch, Sekoya Grande, and Sekoya Fiesta, which have demonstrated significant improvements in fruit quality, firmness, crack resistance, reduced dehydration, and higher yields per plant.
He believes that southern Chile is once again emerging as a highly attractive region for producing premium late-season blueberries—an objective that remained difficult for many years because of climatic limitations. Today, the combination of production expertise, new technologies, and improved genetics allows the industry to project a far more competitive supply for international markets.
Mexico: genetics, quality, and sustained growth continue to drive the industry
Mexico continues to strengthen its position as one of the most dynamic players in the global blueberry industry. This is reflected in the performance of Berries Paradise, which increased its production volume by 53% compared to the previous season.
According to founder Paco Ortiz, this growth is primarily the result of the adoption of new varieties and favorable weather conditions that allowed orchards to maximize their productive potential.
However, the season also brought phytosanitary challenges. High relative humidity during the autumn and early months of the year favored the development of diseases such as rust and damage caused by larvae, forcing growers to reinforce their crop protection programs.
From a commercial standpoint, the United States remains the primary destination for Mexican blueberries, thanks to the complementary production calendars of the two countries. At the same time, Mexico’s domestic market continues to expand, creating significant opportunities for the industry’s future growth.
Ortiz also highlights Asia as a strategic destination for premium-quality fruit and points to the European market as another area of opportunity, following significant consumption growth during the past season.
Regarding pricing, he notes that the market remained relatively stable, with temporary price increases during certain periods of the season. In his view, growing international demand is increasingly driven by the attributes consumers value most today: consistency, flavor, and quality.
Maintaining these standards while the industry continues to expand will be one of the greatest challenges in the years ahead. According to Ortiz, the ability to increase production without compromising fruit quality will be a decisive factor in the future competitiveness of Mexican growers.
From Austria to Chile, and from Georgia and China to Peru and Mexico, the 2026 season confirms that the global blueberry industry is undergoing a period of profound transformation. Climate, genetics, and market dynamics are redefining production strategies while simultaneously creating new opportunities for a sector that continues to grow and strengthen its presence in the world’s leading markets.
