"China soon to be world's largest blueberry producer & consumer!
After taking over US' Smithfield Foods, and commandeering the red wine market, China will soon conquer another food frontier: blueberries! According to industry experts at the 2014 International Blueberry Congress in Qingdao, China will become both the number one blueberry producer and consumer.
Andrés Armstrong, who is also executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, said Chilean blueberry exports to China have been growing by 50 percent every year, since the country can supply fruit during China's winter.
He said world production and consumption will continue to rise, with North America accounting for 80 percent of the global total, although Europe and Asia have "big potential" for growth.
Chen Shaopeng, senior vice-president of Legend Holdings Ltd, and chairman and president of Joyvio Group, a high-end fruit grower and food retailer, said China's blueberry production has expanded quickly and there is huge potential to increase consumption of the fruit.
He said China's blueberry-growing area has grown rapidly to the world's second-largest by area, with 20,366 hectares in 2013.
Armstrong said that in terms of production capacity, the US and Chile are still in first and second place since most Chinese plantations are new.
Joyvio has acquired Wallen Agriculture (Qingdao) Ltd, the country's largest blueberry grower, and invested in entire production chains for the fruit."
Source: shanghaiist.com
Publication date: 6/10/2014.
PROOF POSITIVE!
RECOVERY HAPPENS!!
GO IDCX BABY GOGOGO!!!
FACTS ( 2010) :
In the past 7 years, the area planted to blueberries in China increased from 24 ha to 1,323 ha and is expected to increase to 17,200 ha by 2010. The average annual rate of increase was 70% for the years 2001 to 2005 and 161% for the years 2005 to 2010, respectively. So far, more than 10 provinces have begun commercial blueberry culture, ranging across China from the Northeast to the Southwest. However, different blueberry cultivars were chosen for different production areas based on climate. Lowbush blueberry and half-high blueberry, about 20% and 15% of the total area respectively, are mainly grown in the Northeast. Northern highbush, about 37% of the total production area, is mainly cultured along the coastal areas of Liaoning and Shandong provinces, the northern part of Jiangsu, and part of Yunan province. Occupying 28% of the total production area, rabbiteye and southern highbush are mainly grown in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guizhou, and part of Yunan provinces. Greenhouse and tunnel production areas in northern China increased from 0.13 to 30 ha from 2001 to 2007 and are expected to increase to 750 ha by 2010. With the use of greenhouses and high tunnels, fresh fruit could be harvested from early April to early June. Total production of blueberry in China increased from 2 to 340 metric tonnes between 2001 and 2007 and it is estimated to reach about 12,300 tonnes by 2010. More than 2/3rd of the fruit is used fresh and more than 80% is exported to Japan or Hong Kong, China. Less than 1/3 of the fruit was processed for IQF and export to other countries."
Further info:
2014 China International Blueberry Congress
& Qingdao International Blueberry Festival
AI
