Ecuador seeks to increase blueberry production to supply the domestic and international markets

According to the Federation of Blueberry Producers and Exporters of Ecuador (Fepexa), Ecuador currently has 50 hectares in production, which are not yet enough to cover the domestic demand.

The new fields destined for production of blueberry open up in Carchi, Pichincha, Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Azuay and Tungurahua, the provinces with favorable conditions for the cultivation of this berry.

According to Sebastián Muñoz, coordinator of Fepexa, the Federation wants to encourage new farmers to join the production of this berry that is in high demand.

To expand the cultivated area, they organize workshops ‘Ruta del Cranberry’, which include conferences and visits to producing farms, so that the most experienced producers share experiences with potential new producers.

The last workshop was held on November 26, 2021 in the city of Ibarra, in which 130 producers and farmers interested in the crop participated.

Ecuador began cultivating blueberries in 2016. A year earlier, the first trials and testing and validation stages were carried out in different regions. Today, a similar process is taking place in the coastal provinces of Santa Elena, El Oro and Manabí.

The production cycle is estimated between 4 and 8 months to reach the first harvest. The cultivation is developed in the open field, but there are also localities where it is developed in macro-tunnels and greenhouses.

Currently, there are short and medium-term initiatives that aim to cover the domestic and export markets. The Federation has worked with different entities to start international trade. At this stage, it has included phytosanitary protocols and the respective permits.

In November, one of the companies associated with the Federation exported 20 kilos of blueberries to the Netherlands for the first time.