LAN Airlines, Argentine Growers Build A Blueberry Bridge

Fresh, not Frozen: BA, Entre Ri­os and Tucuman have ramped up U.S. blueberry exports with LAN Cargo.

Global demand for strawberries and blueberries has been on the rise, which is good news for the three Argentine provinces that produce the bulk o’ the berries: Buenos Aires, Entre Rios and Tucuman.

And while Argentina is South America’s third largest exporter of strawberries (after Brazil and Chile), she’s moved up to number two (behind Chile) on the blueberry chart. Agronomy engineer Daniel Kirschbaum told La Gaceta that blueberry demand is up thanks to the fruit’s many nutritional and aesthetic qualities.

Kirschbaum, an INTA director and University of Florida IFAS graduate, says blueberry production is creating both jobs and foreign investment in Argentina with greater quantities now being exported at more competitive prices. Argentina’s competitive edge is also a success story in logistics for both Tucuman and LAN Cargo.

“Thanks to the agreement with LAN we could open to U.S. markets, since the export duration is only 20 hours,” said Tucuman Governor Jose Alperovich. LAN Cargo General Manager Carlos Larrain says his company is now “the bridge between the fruit harvested in Tucuman and served one day later on the tables of Americans.”

FreshPlaza.com published the export numbers, while the Buenos Aires Herald has a more in-depth piece on “The Blueberry Route” between Tucuman and Miami. ThePacker.com says Tucuman and Concordia have just come through the coldest August on record, so the route may ramp up a little slower this year.

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