Blueberry production in Northeastern Argentina looks like it will still be up on last year’s figure despite the impacts of hail over the weekend.
In a press release, Blueberry Producers’ Association of Mesopotamia Argentina (APAMA) president Alejandro Pannunzio said hail in the early hours of Sunday and Monday caused damages of around 6 per cent.
The association was previously forecasting a rise from 7,000 metric tonnes (MT) to 8,000MT.
“While we still don’t have a completed survey, we could anticipate that total production for this harvest will be affected by 6%, reducing the expected total by that percentage this year,” said Pannunzio, who is also vice president of the Argentinean Blueberry Committee (ABC).
Pannunzio, industry representatives and technicians are in constant contact with growers in the affected area, surveying fields to prepare a final diagnosis.
The affected area includes farms in the provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes.