At the most recent Global Berry Congress in Rotterdam, Hans Liekens from Sekoya and Ambrish Karvat of Yupaa talked about the opportunities of blueberries on the Asian market.

In the year 2017, Sekoya was formed as an B2B platform that had breeders from Fall Creek. Sekoya is now a worldwide platform, with 14 members around the globe with access to Sekoya variety. “We offer varieties that are suitable specifically for south-facing regions, which have low chills and zero chill-producing in areas like Peru, Mexico, etc. Also, we have varieties for north-facing regions, that are large and chewy being grown in Poland and also in northern America and north China. The members of the platform have access to these varieties and are able to offer the fruit to supermarkets. The role of the platform is to act as the bridge between farmers and supermarkets as well as their Sublicenses” said Hans Liekens.

The main driver behind the increase is good quality

In discussing the rapid growth of blueberry demand in China Hans stated that at Asia Fruit Logistica last September it was the highest done fair he’s accomplished in the course of his 30 years. “It was fascinating to observe how much buyers from Asia understand the various varieties far better than consumers who are in Europe. If they don’t find it crunchy and delicious, they will not buy the product, and old-fashioned kinds are and out of fashion. The primary driver behind the increase is good quality. The growth is also motivated by advantages of health.

In addition to China, Hans sees Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea as highly interesting markets due the high level of income and understanding of the importance of health. Hans also views Japan as well as India as major drivers for growth.

Hans thinks of the domestic production in China as an enormous advantage, as they’ve seen elsewhere and in different countries where local production actually drives consumption growth. “If you can have local consumption that is driven by production in the local area it will increase your sales for the consumer. This is very important to our industry, as we’re seeing numerous breeders as well as major companies establishing the latest breeds in China and also in the south of Vietnam. The mid and high chill varieties, similar to those in Europe and the United States. They will need 3 years to yield an amount, therefore the investment return will be less and it’ll require a lengthy time period to have a supply of 52 weeks therefore we’ll need to sell a large amount of our blueberries to China in the near future. When the Chinese middle class is eating the same quantities that we do in America or Europe We won’t have enough blueberries to supply our Chinese middle class over the coming 10 years. I can see the potential for nearly the entire year long supply of blueberries for China and the rest of the world.”

India just five years ahead of China

Ambrish Karvat was first introduced over 20 years ago as the Indian market was first open to imports of fruits. “Six months ago we first started cultivating blueberries India among the very first. Consumption of blueberries in India has been increasing due to the benefits to health, specifically following COVID. India imports a huge quantity of frozen and fresh blueberries. We have been one of the pioneers in the fruits industry in India and always far ahead of the curve.”

Ambrish claimed the following: India is growing at the same rate as China Consumption is also huge however, it’s going to take the time. India is probably five years further behind China. “Last year we imported 1400 tons of blueberries. The consumption is growing by double-digits. The local production just started and has been growing slowly. In the next 5 years, we’ll produce much greater amounts. However, we’re 1.3 billion people. And If 5% of them drink blueberries, then there will not have enough production of blueberries in India We’ll end up imports in large quantities.”

Indian blueberry imports originate from a variety of sources, such as Peru, Chile, and the US The fruit is shipped via air, and is subject to an import duty of 30 percent which makes it an costly, premium fruit.

Ambrish stated that because of the varied climate of India as well as its high elevation, cultivating blueberries in India may be challenging However, there is an opportunity since they are able to thrive all the time.

“There aren’t many details about the cultivation of blueberries in India. Therefore, the Yupaa group has invested massively in this field. The Yupaa group has global connections to fruit which is why we’re carrying our experience to India as well. We need to be working closely with farmers in order in order to train them on appropriate varieties for their. It’s difficult for foreign firms to get together with the correct people in order for success within India.”

Hans stated Hans said that India is a more complicated country as China in that it’s easy to locate an owner, but it’s important to have a trustworthy supplier in India.

“Fall Creek” and Sequoia offer varieties that can be grown across India They are being tested and being planted. We are now getting ready to grow and searching for the best partner. There are varieties to suit every climate, which means we’re able to serve India and beyond, which isn’t the main obstacle. The biggest challenge is finding the best local distributor. There is another obstacle related to sales. Retailers lack the same level of development as the retail sector in China as well as Europe.”

Could India become the China of the future? China?

Cold storage and logistics were once thought to be a problem in India however, according to Ambrish, there’s been an increase in investments in cold storage as well as the chain of cold storage has been put in the right place.

“The Indian retail is very dispersed, with very few chain stores. This is the traditional wholesale market however, it operates very effectively and quickly when compared with chains. The fruit usually reaches consumers within 2 days. The cold chain is quite short and the process is very efficient. The group is working with 120 cities throughout India which we observe that it is working well and very efficiently. It’s an extremely organized mess.”

Summarizing, Hans said that breeding businesses must produce varieties that create 52 weeks throughout the year in China The breeders are able to do this on offer at Fall Creek. “I consider that it’s necessary because people want to consume blueberries every day So you must be able to provide quality throughout the year. Don’t disappoint your customers since we are aware that if consumers are unhappy the purchase stops up to a period of six or 10-weeks. Our goal is constant high-quality.”

Ambish believes that local production is main reason for the increase in consumption in India as importing the fruit can make the fruit very costly. “There is a large middle class eager to buy this fruit for a set cost. Therefore, if the fruit is produced in India the price could be cheap which means that the demand will increase. Within five years there will be a demand that is likely to become huge. It will provide an opportunity of a major magnitude in the whole berry industry.

Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies