Excess supply lowers prices of blueberries

Blueberry prices across China have dropped sharply in recent weeks as rapidly expanding domestic production floods the market, turning the once premium fruit into a more affordable everyday snack.

Since March, prices have nearly halved compared with levels during the Spring Festival holiday. In many supermarkets, a 250-gram pack that previously sold for nearly 30 yuan ($4.1) now costs about 20 yuan, while wholesale prices have fallen from around 150 yuan per box to roughly 80 yuan.

In major producing regions such as Yunnan province, the farm-gate price of premium blueberries has dropped to about 30 yuan per kilogram — around 50 percent lower than a year earlier — even as sales volumes have doubled.

The decline in pricing has sparked lively discussions online, with many consumers celebrating what they describe as "blueberry freedom". "Once eaten sparingly, now I can consume them by the handful," said one user on a WeChat post.

Gao Dengtao, an associate researcher at the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the price decline reflects China's rapid rise as the world's largest blueberry producer.

China's output reached 347,000 metric tons in 2020, ranking first globally for the first time. By 2025, production climbed to about 810,000 tons, more than doubling within a five-year period.

"Along with rising output, the quality of domestically grown blueberries has also improved and gained recognition in both domestic and overseas markets," Gao said.

A major turning point came around 2020, when new blueberry varieties grown using substrate-based cultivation were introduced in Yunnan.

Benefiting from abundant sunshine and large day-night temperature differences, the berries matured early, delivered high yields and commanded strong market prices.

According to local authorities, Yunnan's blueberry output reached about 280,000 tons in 2025, accounting for roughly 30 percent of the national total.

More than 300 companies have invested in the sector. "The planting area expanded rapidly from hundreds of hectares to about 16,667 hectares, fueling the industry's continued boom," Gao said.

Greenhouse cultivation has also expanded, spreading from Yunnan to several other provinces. As northern greenhouse harvests begin in March and April, rising supply continues to push prices down. Later in the season, open-field blueberries enter the market in large quantities, and prices can fall further by June, Gao said.

Despite China's leading output, most commercial varieties grown in the country are imported. "Domestically bred varieties account for less than 10 percent of the market," Gao said.

Some research institutions and companies have begun developing local varieties. Zhejiang Lanmei Technology has promoted its Lanmei No 1 variety in parts of eastern China, while researchers at Dalian University in Liaoning province have developed experimental varieties such as "Xia'nyu" and "Qimingxing". Most varieties, however, remain in early testing or limited demonstration stages.

Breeding blueberries is technically challenging due to the crop's complex genetic background. Developing a stable, high-quality variety typically takes about eight to 10 years.

"Flavor traits such as sweetness, acidity and aroma are controlled by multiple genes and can be strongly influenced by environmental conditions, making targeted improvement difficult," Gao said.

Researchers are exploring advanced approaches, including molecular marker-assisted breeding, polyploid breeding and gene-editing technologies to improve fruit quality, disease resistance and environmental adaptability.

To accelerate innovation, several research institutions jointly established the China Southern Blueberry Innovation Center in Mile, Yunnan, in 2024, focusing on developing varieties with independent intellectual property rights.

As production continues to expand, industry observers say deeper processing offers significant market potential and higher profit margins.

He Jiawei, a researcher at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said most blueberries are currently sold as fresh fruit, with only a small share used for processing. Existing products are mainly basic items such as juice, dried fruit and blueberry wine.

"With the continued expansion of planting areas, more blueberries are expected to be directed toward deep-processing industries in the future," he said.

Extending the industrial chain could focus on key compounds found in blueberries, such as anthocyanins and lutein, which can be used to develop high-value functional foods, health supplements and cosmetic products, he added.