Blueberry Shortage

Thurs, Sept 21st, 2023

Dear Ole Tyme Produce Customers:

BLUEBERRIES: We are usually relying heavily on Peruvian imports during this time of year as we phase out of the Pacific Northwest and Michigan seasons. We are experiencing a significant drop in tonnage out of Peru with estimates showing a 37% decrease compared to the 2022-2023 season to date. Here are some reasons for this reduction in production numbers:

El Nino conditions have caused an increase in temperatures from 39 and 41 degrees over the averages for the past 2 decades. This is affecting the production rate of blueberries.
Ultraviolet light radiation has been at 11 and 12 UV and should be at 3 to 4 UV for normal plant production rates.
This UV increase combined with higher temperatures has caused the plants to bloom much later than normal, up to 60 days in some varieties.
These current conditions cause the plants to stress resulting in less water intake and excess usage of glucose reserves. This causes leaves to drop and fruit to shrivel.
We expect this shortage to continue through the month of October.
Expect shippers to attempt to fill contracts only for the next 5 to 6 weeks applying fill rates as needed.

MARKETS: We are seeing increased pricing in the $35.00 to $36.00 range for the 12/6 oz pack and $45.00 to $50.00 on the pints. We could see higher prices over the next several weeks.

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to your Sales Representative or our Customer Service team.

Thank you,

Ole Tyme Produce