The Peruvian Asparagus and Vegetables Institute (IPEH) designed the Asparagus agenda, which outlines the challenges that this vegetable will be facing in the future, said its chief executive, Carlos Zamorano Macchiavello.
Zamorano Macchiavello said the agenda focused on three areas: production of information, research and technological development. The agenda will be financed by the Funds for Innovation, Science and Technology ( FINCyT ), which will facilitate its implementation.
Zamorano Macchiavello noted that they were working with the Promperu in order to participate more actively in the process of market opening.
"Our research area is working with two universities, the Nacional Agraria La Molina and the Cayetano Heredia, on productivity issues. We want to produce a Peruvian hybrid. It's something we've been desiring for a long time," he said.
Regarding the technological development area, he said they would be working on mechanization aspects in the crop's sowing stage and that they would optimize processing plants to improve the phytosanitary standards in order to avoid the quarantine processes imposed by targets markets, which affect asparagus.
Asparagus without fumigation for the U.S.
Carlos Zamorano also referred to the negotiations being held by the SENASA for the export of fresh asparagus to the United States. In this regard, he reported that the SENASA had presented a Risk Mitigation Plan in the last meeting between the entity and APHIS. Now, he said, the U.S. institution will have a say on this matter.
He also said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and SENASA were developing a project to involve small and medium farmers in the pest management system. In this context, he noted, they had designed an administrative rule so that all the owners of processing plants who wish export registration at SENASA so that the health agency certifies their fields. Thus, they would be able to meet the phytosanitary requirements and export fresh asparagus.
Source: Agraria.pe