Into the blue: Kiwis are eating more blueberries
HORTICULTURE: For two years in a row, we have upped their consumption of the fruit by 15 per cent
New figures show Kiwis are devouring blueberries in record numbers. A record 8 million punnets of blueberries were sold last season — worth more than $30 million.
This was a 1.1 million punnet increase (or 15.2 per cent) on the 2019/20 blueberry season.
An almost identical rise was recorded the year before, confirming a huge surge in popularity for the fruit.
Kiwis’ experiences with lockdown in 2020 would likely push sales up even further this summer, says Blueberries NZ chairman Dan Peach.
Peach believed people had “genuinely reconnected with real food”, particularly fruit and vegetables.
“At the beginning of lockdown, people were worried about food security and whether they could get enough of what they needed — we saw long queues at supermarkets, and sales of fruit and vegetable plants at garden centres have since gone crazy.”
Blueberry sales would benefit from this trend, especially since they were considered a superfood, he said.
“They contain higher antioxidant levels than just about every other fruit and vegetable. They’re low in calories, high in nutrients, and will help improve your mood.”
Around 60 per cent of our blueberry crop was exported to Australia and Asia, and growers expected international demand to be stronger than ever due to New Zealand’s effective Covid-19 response, Peach said.
“Demand looks to be really strong internationally this year, and a hot, dry summer will produce exceptionally good berries.”
New Zealand’s main blueberry season was now under way and would last until around March. ■