Global Blackberry Yield: Production and Trade Across the World
Introduction
The blackberry yield globally is steadily increasing. In 2019, world blackberry production reached an all-time high, at 922,681 tons of blackberries (p. 9) following the steady growth in production since 2000. Between 2000 and 2019, the average annual increase in blackberry yield was 3.4%. (p. 10)
The rise of blackberry yields globally derives from an increase in harvested area, which is at 127,384 hectares as of 2019, compared with only 78,609 hectares in 2000. (p.10) Nonetheless, the average blackberry yield in the world remained steady in the last decade and has ranged from about 6 to over 7 tons per hectare. (p. 11)
Some European countries, together with Mexico and the US, have contributed to this consistently growing blackberry yield for many years and supply to the blackberry demand all over the world.
Let’s take a closer look at the blackberry trade globally and find out the leading players in blackberry production worldwide.
Top Exporters of Blackberries
Numerous countries contribute to this steady increase in blackberry yield in the world. The top five exporters of blackberries in the world are: (p. 13)
- Spain
- Mexico
- US
- Morocco
- Portugal
Spain’s blackberry export value is USD 515.9M. It is the leading exporting country of blackberries, contributing 22.5% of the global blackberry exports. (p. 13) And Spain, together with Portugal and Morocco, covers the demand of the European market. (p.4)
Meanwhile, Mexico, which has a blackberry export value of USD 447.9M, and takes 19.6% of the world’s blackberry exports, meets the demand of the North American market.
Though the US highly depends on Mexico for a considerable part of its blackberry supplies, Mexico only imports a small amount of fresh and processed blackberries from the US. In the first quarter of 2021, Mexico imported just 0.6 tons of fresh blackberries and 1.6 tons of processed blackberries from the US. (p. 19)
The US also contributes to the global blackberry yield through some states, such as California and Georgia, which produce the crop. These two states had 20,820 tons of blackberries in 2019. (p. 23)
US: the Top Importer of Blackberries in the World
The US stands out as the leading importer of blackberries, accounting for 45.9% of the world total in 2020. (p. 14) Meanwhile, in 2021, the US imported 130 million pounds of fresh blackberries valued at $318 million. It also bought 24.3 million pounds of frozen blackberries valued at $25 million. And Mexico is the US’ most significant source of fresh blackberries.
Just in the first quarter of 2021, the US obtained 18,456 tons of Mexican blackberries. (p. 17) This represents 92% of Mexico’s total exported blackberries.
Among the Mexican companies that ship blackberries to the US, Driscoll’s, Mainland Farms, and Sun Belle, provide the most significant supplies to the US. (p. 5)
For frozen blackberries, the US sources them from both Chile and Mexico. Chile’s annual average market share for frozen blackberry imports is at 61.4% from 2014-2017. Meanwhile, Mexico imported 854 tons of processed blackberries to the US in the first quarter of 2021.
Aside from the US, the other leading importers of blackberries include Canada, which represents 9.7% of the world’s fresh blackberry imports.
Canada also imports processed blackberries. Some of its processed blackberries come from Mexico’s blackberry yield. In the first quarter of 2021, it imported 936 tons of processed blackberries from Mexico. (p. 17)
Germany, the UK, and Spain import blackberries representing 9.3%, 8.4%, and 6.7%, respectively, of the global blackberry imports. (p. 14) In total, the top European importers of blackberries constitute 24.4% of world blackberry imports. (p. 14)
ProducePay: Connecting Produce Buyers to Best-in-Class Blackberry Growers
Through the ProducePay Marketplace, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers can have easy and convenient means to buy quality blackberries from growers in various regions.
The ProducePay Marketplace provides an automated matchmaking process, allowing produce buyers to quickly find growers that meet their specific produce and volume requirements.
ProducePay can also offer various tools, such as sales analyses and market reporting. In addition, growers can utilize ProducePay’s financing options that help support their financial flow, to help further boost their blackberry yield without the need for collateral.
Contact us to know more about how ProducePay Marketplace can assist with your produce trade.
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