Argentine blueberry crop bounces back

 

Though he notes another spring freeze is still possible, he is optimistic about this year’s early deal from the northern Argentine province of Tucuman, which will produce ahead of the largest growing region, Concordia, by about two weeks.

 

“Last year, the frost very seriously affected volume,” he said, adding cold temperatures should cause a delay of two weeks this year. Marcelo Estrada, a freelance produce marketer based in Miami, agreed Tucuman is doing very well this year, noting that warm weather following the frost will help push forward the plantations and speed up production.

 

“Tucuman is about ten days earlier than Concordia, and in terms of kilometers you have to think something about 1,000 kilometers northeast of Concordia, meaning that it is the continental area, so it is even hotter,” he said, noting that he had recently visited to view the crops. “The bottom line is not the crop this year. It is the financial situation of the growers.”