Peruvian fruits conquer The United States

The United States is just one of the international markets with high demand for the supply of Peruvian superfoods, including fruit.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), non-traditional Peruvian exports to the country totaled over US$ 3,057 million in the first 10 months of 2019. This led to a 5% growth, which was driven by agro-exports, mainly of fruit.

From January to October 2019, fruit exports to the United States increased by 25%, with shipments of blueberries (+64%), avocado (+30%) and grapes (+24%) standing out.

In addition to fruit, shipments of other products from the Peruvian agro-export sector also increased during this period, such as: onions (+18%), asparagus (+12%) and quinoa (+8%).

It is important to mention that last year was the 10th anniversary of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, which has contributed significantly to export growth.

Peru, top exporter of blueberries

The export of the Peruvian blueberry, which is mainly produced in the regions of La Libertad, Lambayeque, Ica, Ancash and Lima, has increased significantly in recent years. Peru is currently projected to be the world's largest exporter of blueberries.

Between 2012 and 2018 alone, there was an average increase of 247%, while between 2017 and 2018, there was an increase in the number of shipments of more than 80%.   

Although the main importer of Peruvian blueberries is currently the United States, the fruit is also extremely popular in Europe. According to exports in the first 5 months of 2019, the Netherlands and England were the second and third main destinations with 22% and 10% respectively, compared to 52% for the Americans.

The Peruvian grape positions itself in the world 

In 2018, Peru became the third largest exporter of fresh grapes in the world. In that year, fruit exports amounted to US$ 819 million, which meant an increase of 26% compared to 2017.

This growth, besides having to do with the higher export volume (+27%), from 270 thousand tons in 2017 to 343 thousand tons in 2018, was also due to a campaign to promote the Peruvian fruit basket worldwide.

Thus, Peru surpassed Italy and China, which registered sales of 779 and 690 million dollars in the same year.

Details

• Non-traditional exports to the United States doubled from 2008 to 2018, from US$ 1,877 million to US$ 3,669 million, respectively.
• Peru is currently the leading supplier of quinoa and artichoke to the United States, and the second largest supplier of asparagus, avocados, tangerines, mangoes and onions.

Source: Mincetur