Peru's (fresh, frozen, canned, and juice)
fruit exports, which make up over 50% of agricultural shipments, grew 9.5% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2018, Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Sayuri Bayona has reported.
This increase was underpinned by higher sales of
blueberries (70%), grapes (19%), and pomegranates (27%).
Bayona said this comes as a result of increased investments in agriculture, greater demand from Europe, and an aggressive promotional campaign for Peruvian products abroad.
It must be noted the strong growth in fruit exports has contributed to increasing farming shipments, which posted a 7% gain in said period.
Blueberries
According to the government official, the Andean nation exported
blueberries worth over US$80 million between January and March this year, thus becoming the most exported fruit in the first quarter.
Grapes
Exports of grapes —leading agricultural export product in Peru— grew to US$355 million during the analyzed period, up 19% from Jan-Mar last year. This growth was due to a strong increase in the export volume (33%).
Pomegranates
In the first three months of the year,
pomegranate shipments rose 27% to US$36 million. This occurred in line with the start of the harvest and export seasonality (February-May).
(END) CNA/RMB/MVB
Published: 5/20/2019