Suitable Growing Regions for Blueberries and an Analysis of Growing Profitability

Southern blueberries are generally grown in the open field. Depending on the latitude, different varieties are grown and the ripening period also differs. So where are blueberries suitable for growing, and how good are the returns?

Open-field blueberries in Yunnan, China can begin ripening in early March. Open-field blueberries in Hunan, Jiangxi and other places ripen around late April to early May. Open-field blueberries in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and other places ripen in mid-to-late May, and cold-frame greenhouse blueberries ripen in late April. Open-field blueberries in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning and other places can ripen in early June, cold-frame greenhouse blueberries ripen in mid-to-late May, and warm greenhouse blueberries can ripen in early April.

2017 Blueberry Growing Profitability

Blueberries have relatively high requirements for the soil environment, needing acidic sandy loam with a pH of 4.5-5.5, though soil with a pH below 7 can all be used to grow blueberries through soil improvement. Blueberries do not have very high climate requirements, and most regions across the country have varieties or growing models suitable for them. After years of development, blueberry prices are now relatively stable, and 2017 prices rose slightly compared with the same period in 2016. The growing area has increased somewhat, and the blueberry consumer market is also continuously expanding.

Each year, blueberry prices begin to decline slowly from March, reach a low point in June, and then recover. Calculated according to market wholesale prices: in late March the price is about 200 yuan per jin. In early April the price is about 150 yuan per jin. In late April the price is about 100 yuan per jin. In early May the price is about 80 yuan per jin. In late May the price is about 50 yuan per jin. In early June the price is about 30 yuan per jin, and in late June the price is about 20 yuan per jin. In July the price is about 30 yuan per jin. In August the price is about 50 yuan per jin.

Blueberry yield is importantly related to variety, region, growing method and management. Under normal conditions, fresh-eating blueberry varieties yield about 1,500 jin per mu. Processing blueberry varieties can yield 2,000 to 3,000 jin per mu. The normal management cost of an open-field blueberry orchard is about 10,000 yuan per mu per year. For warm greenhouse cultivation, the annual management and depreciation cost is about 25,000 yuan per mu. At present, growing blueberries is quite profitable.