Demand for UK-grown blueberries has risen by 27%, putting the popular berry among the UK’s fastest-growing fruits, according to Tesco.
British consumers will buy around 57,000 tonnes of blueberries this year. However, the country’s producers can only supply around 6,000 tonnes, with the rest coming from imports.
According to Tesco, this is set to change in the coming years, thanks to a massive production programme that aims to increase the UK’s total production by a third. This could translate into fewer fruit imports during the summer months.
“The British crop is very popular this season and we would like to be able to import more, so we are working with British growers on a production programme that will ensure returns and give them the confidence to grow more,” said Callum Baker, buyer of Tesco Berries.
Tesco is now working with Hall Hunter, which has four farms in Berkshire and Surrey and is the UK’s largest blueberry producer. This year they will produce around 2,500 tonnes, almost half of the UK’s total.
The company has recently invested in improved production methods, including new sorting and packing machines, as well as a state-of-the-art harvesting machine capable of picking around 600 kilograms of fruit per hour.
“Demand for blueberries is at an all-time high and given the current popularity, we are planting an additional 55 hectares which will produce around 4,000 tonnes of fruit once the plants mature,” said Jim Flor, managing director of Hall Hunter.
As for varieties, Flor added that some new varieties have been trialled and the company is now growing varieties “better adapted to the British climate, with early and late maturing plants that will extend the current UK growing season from mid-June to mid-September.”
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