Blueberry establishment and production costs

Blueberry production is capital intensive with high development and labour costs.

However, the short time interval between establishment and first returns with Southern Highbush varieties coupled with high demand and reasonable prices will offset the high costs.

The following calculations for Northern NSW are based on the establishment and production costs for one hectare with 3700 plants for a farm of 4 ha of blueberries.

In northern NSW, growers using Southern Highbush redevelop blueberry beds in year 8 so the production cycle is from year three to year 7 (5 years).