In 2020, Peru was ranked as the world's leading exporter and producer of quinoa, once again surpassing its traditional competitor Bolivia, the
reported on Tuesday.
The two countries account for 90% of the global production of the "Grain of the Incas" —being one of the products that can contribute to fighting the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Midagri explained that there are more than 68,000 small producers from Peru's high Andean areas who are dedicated —in a particular way as associates— to the
cultivation of quinoa.
Markets
According to Midagri reports, the regions producing the
most quinoa are Puno (44%), Ayacucho (17.6%), Apurimac (12.6%), Arequipa (9.4%), Cusco (4.7%), Junin (3.9%), Huancavelica (2.5%), La Libertad (1.7%), and
Cajamarca (1.3%).
Quinoa in the country comprises 65,280 hectares of crops with a production of 89,775 tons, based on 2019 records.
At the end of 2020, its production would have reached 94,000 metric tons.
In the last three months of last year and in the first quarter of 2021, Colombia will have become one of the main importers of Peruvian quinoa.
Between January and September 2020, the corresponding exports reached 37,798 tons, leading to sales worth more than US$94 million.
Potential
Midagri encourages greater consumption of quinoa and other varieties of Andean grains, whose high protein and vitamin content can contribute to strengthening the body and its immune system in order to face the new coronavirus.