December 13 2006, 12:27

Polish blueberry acreage dominates Europe

Poland has probably the largest area under blueberry production in Europe. According to estimates, it was 1500 hectares in 2004, the same area as in Germany. But the area of new plantings in 2005 and 2006 in Poland was larger than in Germany. The total crop of Polish blueberries in 2004 was only about 3750 MT, while in Germany at same year – around 8000 MT. The difference should disappear soon, because most of the blueberry plants in Poland are still young.

The most popular varieties grown in Poland are Duke, Bluecrop and Nelson and blueberry season starts at the end of July and continues until the end of September (the peak is between 5-20 August), but Polish growers are looking for new technologies, such as cultivation under cover which can extend the season.

Prices of blueberries on the Polish market are still very high, so the majority of the fruit is exported to the EU-15 countries. More than 40 growers are members of Polish Blueberry Growers Association which works from 1995. In 2005 PBGA created a web page (www.borowka.org) with information about growing blueberries and possible ways of using fruits.