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South Korean consumers will likely have access to fresh Oregon blueberries beginning this July, after a decade of negotiations by the Oregon Blueberry Commission.
Bryan Ostlund, administrator for the Salem-based commission, said negotiations are basically wrapped up and South Korean officials have completed the public comment phase of their government’s import procedures.
“The best case scenario is that we will begin shipping in mid-July,” Ostlund said on June 6.
That timing couldn’t be more perfect, according to Jeff Malensky, treasurer and manager of the fresh side of Oregon Berry Packing Co. in Hillsboro, Ore. The grower/shipper said this year’s Oregon crop is coming on later than usual – possibly the latest he’s seen.
“Normally we would start around June 25, but this year it’s looking like July 8-12 will be the beginning of harvest,” Malensky said. “And it’s a large crop. Pollination was better than last year, and if the weather holds we will have a lot of berries.”
A lot of berries is apparently what the South Korean public wants.
Ostlund and Malensky said frozen blueberries from Oregon have been increasingly popular in South Korea. Demand spiked last year after media reports in the Asian country about the health benefits of blueberries.
“No one had enough frozen (blueberries) to meet the demand,” Malensky said. “South Korea has become the largest market for frozen blueberries in Asia, even bigger than Japan.
South Korea does not currently allow the importing of fresh blueberries from any country, according to Ostlund, except for fresh blueberries that go to U.S. military bases there. The country does have a small blueberry industry but not nearly enough growing land to meet consumer demand.
“We are hearing that the price point in grocery stores there for 600 grams (about 11/3 pounds) of fresh blueberries is $20 in U.S. money,” said Malensky.
Ostlund said there aren’t any orders yet for fresh blueberries, but he expects large buyers such as Costco to immediately start asking for Oregon blueberries once the South Korean government gives the final OK. The foreign government’s main concerns have been related to pests, traceback capabilities and record keeping.
None of those requirements worries Malensky, who said Oregon Berry Packing started its own traceback labeling system seven years ago. He isn’t concerned about the pest trapping requirements from the South Korean government, partly because some of the pests they are looking for don’t even live in Oregon.
To help ensure that the South Korean requirements are met, that country’s government is paying for an inspector to come to Oregon for two years, Ostlund said.
Ostlund said this year the commission estimates Oregon will ship 60 million pounds of blueberries total. He said five packers have expressed interest in exporting fresh berries to South Korea, including Oregon Berry Packing and PanAmerican Berry Packing of Salem, Ore.
The Oregon growers/packers have a distinct advantage with their location when it comes to shipping to Asia. Not only is flight time relatively short, but it is expected to get even shorter later this year when Asiana Airlines restores non-stop cargo flights to the Far East out of the Portland International Airport, according to Malensky.
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