Peruvian exports amounted to US$20.6 billion in the first quarter of the year, registering a 27.3% growth compared to the same period in 2024, reported the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).
“This result confirms the continued positive trend of Peruvian foreign trade,” it emphasized.
The ministry explained that this significant progress is due to the outstanding performance of key sectors such as mining, fishing, metallurgy, and agro-exports. In particular, the mining sector—which accounts for more than half of Peruvian exports—grew 29%, driven by rising international mineral prices.
Gold (up 54%) and copper (up 23%), the country's main export products, stand out. Additionally, significant increases were observed in exports of silver concentrates (+68%), molybdenum (+40%), and tin (+47%).
The agricultural export sector, the second largest in the national export basket, performed strongly with growth of 21.2%.
Exports of cocoa and cocoa derivatives soared (+129%), while those of fruits such as grapes and mangoes grew 21%. Exports of palm oil (+68%) and natural colorants (+93%) also increased significantly.
"These figures project agriculture as one of the sectors with the greatest potential to reach a new annual record," emphasized Mincetur.
Also, indicated that in the fishing sector, foreign sales increased 37%, thanks to increased supply and the dynamism of products such as anchovy derivatives (+51.6%) and squid (+42%).
Meanwhile, the metallurgy sector also reported a 29% growth, with increased demand for copper products (+53%) and zinc ingots (+14%).
Total foreign trade in goods (exports plus imports) reached US$34.255 billion, representing a 23% increase in the first quarter of the year.
- Peru will encourage sustainability criteria in its exports
Imports
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) indicated that imports also grew, registering a 17% increase, mainly due to increased purchases of agricultural goods (+26%) and metalworking goods (+21%). Particularly notable were purchases of dairy products (+69%), meat and meat offal (+45%), cereals (+22%), sugar (+22%), soybeans and derivatives (+13%), and blueberry seedlings (+168%).
The growth in trade occurred in parallel with increased activity with the country's main trading partners.
Trade with China and the United States grew by more than 30%, while trade with Asia in general increased by 30.8%, with South Korea (+31.1%), India (+25.9%), and Japan (+4%) standing out. In Europe, trade with the European Union grew by 17.3%, driven by increases in cocoa exports (+134%), grapes (+65%), and copper (+23%).
Regarding the number of exporting companies, this grew by 5.6% in the first quarter of 2025. This growth was led by microenterprises, which increased by 18.9%.
Regions of the country
Finally, export growth was most pronounced in the country's interior regions, whose foreign sales increased by 28.6%, surpassing Lima and Callao (+20.8%).
The regions that saw an increase in exports were 21: Huánuco (+277%), SM (+111%), Apurímac (+106%), Ayacucho (+87%), and Loreto (+76%), Junín (+70%), Pasco (+69%), Puno (+65%), Ucayali (+59%), Amazonas (+53%), Tacna (+42%).
Also, Moquegua (+32%), Arequipa (+25%), Madre de Dios (+21%), Cajamarca (+20%), Lambayeque (+19%), Ancash (+15%), Piura (+11%), Tumbes (+6%), Ica (+5%), and La Libertad (+5%).
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(END) NDP / MDV
Published: 5/8/2025