South Korea
Report Team Narrative
Adapted from Report by Private Industry Source in Korea, Mr CS Rim
More controlled growing
Korean blueberry farms used to be planted in the open field, which means northern highbush varieties were the main cultivars introduced to survive the cold winter. The first efforts to harvest blueberries with an earlier season involved triple-jacket tunnels with heating systems installed, increasing plantings of southern highbush varieties.
Harvested earlier and with better quality fruit, southern highbush blueberries have been more profitable and favorable for Korean blueberry growers. Climate variables such as drought, frost and cold temperatures also drove more Korean blueberry growers to produce under tunnels.
There seems to be no big change in the total planted area at around 3,000 hectares since 2020, but there has been a 20% reduction in open field plantings while tunnel plantings grew by 20%. This led to a huge change in supply quantities month by month as more blueberries are being harvested earlier in the season.
Quality improvement and season extension
With this change to more production under tunnels, the Korean blueberry season has been extended and general quality has been improved. The season used to be from March through July, but that has now become January through August. More controlled environment operations and varietal shifts continue to lead to quality improvements in blueberries.
The Korean blueberry market is segmented mainly by size: 20mm up, 18mm, 16mm and 14mm. 14-16mm sizes are supplied to mass supply chains of large franchise supermarkets. Bigger sizes (18-20mm) of blueberry are consumed more in the premium market at 20-50% higher prices. Now beyond the sizes, the market is demanding crunch, firmness and flavor in blueberries as more specialized varieties are being introduced.
Effects on pricing throughout season from production changes
As open field production is reduced and more tunnel production is growing, the price of earlier season (March to April) blueberries has dropped significantly while mid-season (May to early June) prices stay strong. Also, a poor weather situation (low temperatures and drought) and the cutting of open field production has supported prices in the later season.
As the earlier season competition is intensifying, with recent developments focused on spring southern highbush production, the focus seems to be shifting to the early summer season for northern highbush varieties with strong cold hardiness. However, as the Korean winter is severely cold, the right genetics must be trialed and identified.