Peru's Agriculture and Irrigation Ministry (Minagri) announced the National Agricultural Sanitation Service (Senasa) sealed containers delivering the first cargo of blueberries from the Andean nation to the People’s Republic of China.
The seal validates the 8,550 km content as pest free in order to avoid eventual manipulation or alteration during a 30-day journey to the 1.4 billion consumer market.
The phytosanitary procedure involved experts from the People's Republic of China State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
Peru's northern city of Trujillo has a cultivated area of 2,663 hectares of blueberries that is expected to grow 40% by 2018, thus achieving the objective of more than 25,000 tons annually in two years.
Firms like Tal S.A. and Campo Sol have met the phytosanitary requirements on fields and packing plants, as confirmed by Senasa and AQSIQ experts on January 16-19.
All in compliance with the protocol signed between Peru and China in November, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Blueberries exports to China will help increase the fruit's shipments in 2017, up from US$232.9 million in 2016.
The United States was the most important export destination last year with US$130.7 million, followed by the Netherlands (US$52.7 million), the UK (US$29.6 million) and Canada (US$4.9 million).
(END) MDV/MDV/RMB/MVB
Published: 1/20/2017