Blueberries
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Blueberry prices were hit hard in 2022 by the Transnet strike in October. This strike affected product quality and time to the market. In the case of the latter, the strike resulted in increased export volumes shipped in the weeks after the strike, which flooded markets and pushed prices down. Persistent quality concerns are also damaging the international perception of blueberries from South Africa. This lack of consistency is affecting the demand in supermarket programs as high variability in quality and volumes are difficult for procurement managers to manage. Our view is that prices could recover somewhat over the coming years but would be constrained by strong South American volumes in the EU and UK markets. As Europe and the UK recover from current economic pressures, prices could also be supported. The timelines associated with this are largely determined by the Russia- Ukraine war, which we elaborate on in the table grapes section below.
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Future quality would also be key in retaining market share for product from South Africa.
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