The most exciting thing is that, as noted by Kočerha, Peruvian asparagus first entered the Chinese market in November this year, and both varieties, white and green, will be the main Peruvian products promoted in China. The counsellor believes that Peruvian asparagus can reach good prices in China, as they can arrive during the local off-season.
Vladimír Kočerha used white asparagus as an example to present some features of Peruvian products.
He pointed out that, due to the short shelf life of asparagus, despite being transported by air, it will take no more than a week for them to get from Peru to China's supermarket shelves.
"Their shelf life is of nearly two and a half weeks; however, about three and a half days are needed from harvest to air shipment, which includes the packaging. Taking also the customs clearance into account, the total time needed reaches between four and four and a half days. Then the asparagus have to be transported directly to supermarkets," said Kočerha.
"In any case, you have to start from somewhere (...), my job consists in looking ahead to the future and making plans for promotion in the medium and long term; therefore, our view is not limited to this upcoming season," he stated.
He said that the Economic and Commercial Office of Peru in Shanghai has been in contact with some supermarkets in Shanghai and has reached some preliminary agreements. However, Kočerha added that, for now, Peruvian asparagus will have to wait for their entry into the Shanghai market to be accepted.
What Kočerha finds encouraging is that the expected time for the product to enter the Chinese market is November this year, and thus Peruvian asparagus will avoid direct competition with local asparagus, which should result in more competitive prices.
"The period of supply of Chinese asparagus is from March to October each year. If Peru can start exporting to China in November, it can effectively avoid having to compete, and prices will be better," said Kočerha.
Asked on how big the price difference will be when comparing Peruvian asparagus with the local produce, Kočerha pointed out that the actual price would be "difficult to predict."
"Local asparagus prices form an arc shape. They can be as low as 1.93 dollars per kilo, or as high as 7.25 to 8.00 dollars per kilo," he said.
"In our case, it will be the same; that is, the actual price will depend on the time of the year," he added.
Vladimír Kočerha added that the main Peruvian asparagus suppliers that will export to China will be big businesses in the country's fruit and vegetables sector, such as Camposol, Complejo Agroindustrial Beta, Danper Trujillo and Agrícola Chapi.
Source: Portalfrutícola.com
