Our Goal Is To Become The Largest High - Quality Blueberry Producer In Europe

Traditionally, Romania is not renowned for its high blueberry production, but the situation is changing. The country is making substantial investments and cultivating new varieties, which will be available in large quantities in 2027.

George Milos from Agricrafters explained, "Most growers had been planting old varieties until 2021 when they started to grow new varieties like Fall Creek's Sekoya." "We cooperate with Agrovision, which is one of the global authorized distributors of the Sekoya variety."

Blueberries were mostly planted in the open air and on ordinary soil beds. It was only recently that growers began to plant them in tunnels and pots.

"We originally intended to plant in the soil, but the soil didn't have the right properties, so we decided to plant in pots. Why invest in the best varieties only to plant them in poor soil?"
George said that Sekoya is the "next star variety" in the blueberry world, a new gold rush. "A few years ago, retailers hadn't heard of this variety, but now they want it. They've seen the good results of low - chill varieties planted in Peru or Morocco, and now we're seeing the results of high - chill varieties."

In 2024, Agricrafters planted 62 hectares of high - quality varieties. By 2025, an additional 94 hectares will be added, with the aim of reaching 1000 hectares in 5 - 7 years.
"Our goal is to become the largest high - quality blueberry producer in Europe. We need significant investment, so in the initial stage, raising the necessary funds is the biggest challenge. But as we start production and sales, everything will become easier."

The production season in Romania runs from June 15th to August 31st, with a one - week time difference depending on climate conditions. "We hope to have fruits throughout the production season. Currently, we have early - and mid - maturing plants and will start planting late - maturing varieties. Our season overlaps with that of Serbia and Portugal at the beginning, and later with most of Northern Europe. Eventually, most of these countries still need to import blueberries. We hope to have blueberries with very good quality, large size, and excellent firmness to gain an advantage."

Initially, these blueberries will be sold in Europe, in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. "The Sekoya variety has a very long shelf - life and has great potential for supplying the Middle East and Far East markets. Romania also has good logistics, being located on the Black Sea with a favorable geographical location. We are only 10 - 12 days away from Saudi Arabia, 20 days from Dubai, and about 30 - 35 days from India and China."

Labor Supply
Romania has always had a large supply of relatively cheap labor, but the situation is changing. "We're still fortunate to have cheaper labor compared to most Western European countries, but there is investment in all industries in the country, and now there are more job opportunities. This has led to a reduction in the labor force for fruit picking. However, in our region, we have many people who are used to working on farms and can earn a good amount of money. Currently, we can manage with the available labor, but we're also considering the future and machine harvesting. It's important to look at the varieties you're planting and ensure that when the technology is good enough, they are compatible with machine harvesting to transition from manual to machine harvesting."

The first commercial production will be achieved in 2026, with a yield of 450 - 500 tons. The output is expected to increase annually until it reaches 28 - 30 tons per hectare.