Peru's blueberry season is running well below expectations, with one exporter estimating volumes could come in around 40% below normal. The culprit is weather: heat has triggered widespread flower bud abortion and accelerated ripening, while El Niño rainfall threatens fruit skin integrity. Fruit firmness has dropped to 70–75% — too soft for the standard 35–40 day sea freight window — so shippers have already paused sea freight programs and are routing everything by air.
With Chile, Argentina, and the U.S. already done for the season, Peru holds roughly an 8–10 week window as the primary global blueberry supplier. Demand is outpacing supply, and prices are rising week over week. The shift to air freight adds cost pressure throughout the supply chain, and labor competition from overlapping harvests of grapes, mangoes, asparagus, and lemons in November-December could further limit picking capacity.
Buyers relying on Peruvian blueberry programs should expect tighter availability and elevated pricing through the peak window. Worth monitoring whether El Niño rainfall expands further into key growing zones.