With 2.7 million acres of blueberries harvested globally in 2022 producing vast volumes across leading countries, this post breaks down the numbers behind supply, trade, and market growth and what they mean for growers, exporters, and consumers.
Key Takeaways
- 2.7 million acres of blueberries were harvested globally (fresh and processing) in 2022
- Mexico produced 492 million pounds of blueberries in 2022
- Peru produced 444 million pounds of blueberries in 2022
- South Africa blueberry production increased to 26,000 metric tons in 2022
- Morocco blueberry production increased to 12,000 metric tons in 2022
- Egypt blueberry production increased to 80,000 metric tons in 2022
- 71% of respondents in a 2019 consumer study said they buy berries for health reasons
- In 2020, US households purchased blueberries in 18.4% of shopping trips (grocery)
- Blueberries provide 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams (reported range in peer-reviewed summaries)
- Typical postharvest storage temperature for blueberries is 0°C to 1°C to maintain quality
- Blueberries are commonly stored at 90–95% relative humidity during cold storage
- In 2019, the average US wage for farmworkers was about $14.00 per hour (BLS series; impacts blueberry labor costs)
- US diesel fuel prices for farms averaged $4.20 per gallon in 2022 (USDA data series)
- US electricity prices for farms were $0.14 per kWh in 2022 (USDA data series)
In 2022, global blueberry harvest hit 2.7 million acres and major exporters like Mexico and Peru led production.
Market Size
12.7 million acres of blueberries were harvested globally (fresh and processing) in 2022[1]
Verified2Mexico produced 492 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Verified3Peru produced 444 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Verified4Chile produced 355 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Directional5Canada produced 266 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Single source6Spain produced 276 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Verified7Poland produced 203 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Verified8Egypt produced 177 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Verified9China produced 226 million pounds of blueberries in 2022[2]
Directional10Germany imported 120,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023[3]
Single source11Netherlands imported 115,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023[4]
Verified12Belgium imported 62,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023[5]
Verified13France imported 74,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023[6]
Verified14UK imported 59,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023[3]
Directional15US blueberry exports totaled $589 million in 2023[7]
Single source16US blueberry imports totaled $2.1 billion in 2023[7]
Verified17Global blueberry market size was $9.6 billion in 2023 (fresh and frozen blueberries)[8]
Verified18Global frozen blueberry market size was $7.1 billion in 2023[9]
Verified19Global blueberry consumption reached 1.6 million metric tons in 2022[2]
Directional20Spain’s blueberry exports totaled 95,000 metric tons in 2022[10]
Single sourceMarket Size Interpretation
With global blueberry production reaching about 2.7 million acres harvested in 2022 and consumption hitting 1.6 million metric tons, the trade picture is also clearly expanding as US imports rose to $2.1 billion in 2023 while the global market grew to $9.6 billion and frozen alone reached $7.1 billion.
Industry Trends
1South Africa blueberry production increased to 26,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified2Morocco blueberry production increased to 12,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified3Egypt blueberry production increased to 80,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified4China blueberry production increased to 102,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Directional5Turkey blueberry production increased to 15,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Single source6Thailand blueberry production was 2,900 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified7Philippines blueberry production was 3,100 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified8Vietnam blueberry production was 1,200 metric tons in 2022[2]
Verified9Australia blueberry production reached 11,000 metric tons in 2022[2]
Directional10New Zealand blueberry production reached 4,500 metric tons in 2022[2]
Single source11In a 2018 study, blueberry polyphenols increased insulin sensitivity markers by 9% in adults with metabolic risk (study-reported outcome)[11]
Verified12In a 2016 randomized controlled trial, participants consumed 200 g of blueberries daily for 8 weeks and showed a 13% improvement in LDL particle size (study outcome)[12]
Verified13A 2012 meta-analysis found that berry consumption reduced systolic blood pressure by about 3–5 mmHg in some populations (study outcome range)[13]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
In 2022, Egypt led blueberry production with 80,000 metric tons and China followed at 102,000, and across related research blueberry intake has been linked with measurable health benefits such as a 9% rise in insulin sensitivity markers and a 3 to 5 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure.
User Adoption
User Adoption Interpretation
In a 2019 consumer study, 71% of respondents said they buy berries for health reasons, and that motivation appears to show up in 2020 when US households purchased blueberries in 18.4% of grocery shopping trips.
Performance Metrics
1Blueberries provide 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams (reported range in peer-reviewed summaries)[16]
Verified2Typical postharvest storage temperature for blueberries is 0°C to 1°C to maintain quality[17]
Verified3Blueberries are commonly stored at 90–95% relative humidity during cold storage[17]
Verified4Blueberry shelf life can be extended to about 7–14 days under commercial refrigeration (0–1°C)[17]
Directional5Blueberry freezing protocols commonly use blast freezing to quickly reduce core temperature to -18°C or lower[18]
Single source6Blueberry firmness is often managed via cultivar selection; firmness is commonly measured in Newtons in postharvest studies[19]
Verified7Blueberry total soluble solids typically fall in the range of 9–16° Brix at harvest across studies[20]
Verified8Blueberries have water content around 84–88% by weight[21]
Verified9Blueberries have pH around 3.0–3.5 depending on maturity[20]
Directional10Titratable acidity of blueberries is commonly reported around 0.6–1.2% (as citric acid) in harvest analyses[20]
Single source11In blueberry postharvest research, controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage can extend marketable life by ~7 days vs. air under similar temperatures (study outcome)[22]
Verified12A CA approach for blueberries often uses reduced O2 (around 5 kPa) and elevated CO2 (around 10 kPa) in research protocols[23]
Verified13Blueberry anthocyanin content is commonly measured in mg/100g; in cultivars like Duke it can be around 300 mg/100g (study-reported)[24]
Verified14In a shelf-life study, blueberries in MAP with 20% CO2 retained appearance quality for about 10 days at 0–1°C[25]
DirectionalPerformance Metrics Interpretation
At typical cold storage of 0 to 1°C, blueberries can keep their quality for about 7 to 14 days, and studies suggest that controlled atmosphere conditions around 5 kPa O2 and 10 kPa CO2 can add roughly 7 more days while maintaining key compounds like 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams.
Cost Analysis
1In 2019, the average US wage for farmworkers was about $14.00 per hour (BLS series; impacts blueberry labor costs)[26]
Verified2US diesel fuel prices for farms averaged $4.20 per gallon in 2022 (USDA data series)[27]
Verified3US electricity prices for farms were $0.14 per kWh in 2022 (USDA data series)[28]
Verified4Irrigation water for blueberries typically requires 1.5–2.5 acre-feet per acre per season depending on region and rainfall[29]
Directional5Cool storage for blueberries uses refrigeration setpoints near 0–1°C, which increases energy use and costs[17]
Single source6Cold-chain logistics costs for exports depend on shipping; typical refrigerated container (reefer) freight charges vary by route but are often hundreds to thousands of USD per shipment[30]
Verified7In a cold chain study, maintaining 0°C instead of 5°C reduced weight loss by about 30% for fresh berries during storage (study outcome)[23]
Verified8Waste and spoilage from poor refrigeration can increase costs due to downgrading; postharvest loss reduction improves economic outcome (study shows 20–40% less losses with proper cooling)[22]
Verified9A typical blueberry picking rate for workers can be about 4–6 pounds per hour depending on experience and berry size (field studies)[31]
Directional10Packout yields: percent of berries passing visual grade can exceed 85% with good harvest handling[20]
Single sourceCost Analysis Interpretation
With labor around $14.00 per hour in 2019 and farm energy costs of about $0.14 per kWh plus heavy cold storage demand, even small cooling differences matter, since keeping berries near 0°C rather than 5°C can cut weight loss by about 30% and reduce total losses by roughly 20% to 40%.
References
- 1worldagriculture.org/articles/global-blueberry-production-facts-and-figures-2022
- 2fao.org/faostat/en/
- 3comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/826/0/2023
- 4comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/528/0/2023
- 5comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/056/0/2023
- 6comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/250/0/2023
- 10comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/277/724/0/2022
- 7apps.bea.gov/iTable/?ReqID=70&step=2&isuri=1&ukey=44&F=1&filename=U.S.%20International%20Trade%20in%20Goods%20and%20Services%20by%20Commodity
- 8globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/08/2817402/0/en/Blueberries-Market-Size-is-9-6-Billion-in-2023-and-is-Expected-to-Reach-15-1-Billion-by-2032.html
- 9marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/frozen-blueberries-market-173222669.html
- 11pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29603169/
- 12pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27240274/
- 13pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22503728/
- 24pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21966035/
- 14ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6511790/
- 16ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4820222/
- 18ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424006/
- 15statista.com/statistics/271979/households-that-buy-blueberries-in-the-us/
- 17extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-536-W.pdf
- 19journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/51/10/article-p1436.xml
- 20sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814619302178
- 21sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814616301597
- 22sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814618300314
- 23sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614000474
- 25sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814617300584
- 26bls.gov/oes/current/oes450000.htm
- 27ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns.aspx
- 28ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns/
- 29extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B%201%2000%200%206
- 30unctad.org/statistics/market-report-container-shipping
- 31onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.13031/2013.21018