British retailer Tesco says demand for UK-grown blueberries has soared by 27% this season year-on-year.
This puts the berry among the top of the UK’s fastest-growing fruit, according to
the supermarket chain
.
UK shoppers are set to buy around 57,000 tons of the fruit this year. However, British growers can only supply about 6,000 tons, with the rest made up from imports.
That is expected to change over the next few years thanks to a massive production program that hopes to boost total UK yield by around a third. This will mean less fruit needing to be imported during the summer months.
“The British crop is extremely popular when in season and we’d love to be able to take more which is why we are working with UK growers on a production programme, guaranteeing them a return and giving them confidence to plant more,” Tesco berries buyer Callum Baker said.
Tesco is now working with Hall Hunter, who have four farms across Berkshire and Surrey, and are the UK’s biggest grower of blueberries. This year they will produce about 2,500 tons, nearly half of the entire UK production.
The company has recently invested in better production methods including new grading and packing machinery as well as a state-of-the-art harvester capable of picking about 1,300 lbs. of fruit an hour.
“Demand for blueberries is at an all-time high and due to the current popularity we are planting an additional 55 hectares which should produce about 4,000 tons of fruit once the plants mature”, said Hall Hunter Managing Director Jim Floor.
As for varieties, Floor added that new cultivars have been tested and that the company is now growing types that are “better suited to the British climate, with both early and later maturing plants that will extend the current UK growing season from mid-June to mid-September”.
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