Sierra Exportadora will promote the planting of soursop in the economic corridors of Motupe-Kañaris (Lambayeque) and Chulucanas-Morropón-Huancabamba (Piura), located in the northern highlands of Peru, announced its CEO, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta.
"We're looking to generate a new business chain with this new alternative crop in the Andean region of Lambayeque and Piura, where agriculture is being conditioned to face climate change," he said.
According to Tuesta, the soursop has a strong international demand for its medicinal properties, especially to fight cancer. Growing this crop would also generate jobs because one of the conditions from the United States so that this fruit can enter the country is that it has to be manually pulped.
"It's true that we have to improve productivity in these areas, and that's what we'll do with the soursop. To do so, we've created a business plan that favours the association of producers or organized groups, in order to get some of the resources to fund the development of productive enterprise groups," he said.
Tuesta added that they could reach the desired 50 hectares of planted soursop in the two economic corridors mentioned before with the support of the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA).
Agreement with INIA
The head of Sierra Exportadora in Lambayeque, Victor Hugo Bullon Calderon, said they were negotiating a specific agreement with the INIA - Vista Florida Lambayeque, to establish a relationship of mutual cooperation to execute this project to improve the production chain of the soursop.
Sierra Exportadora will find business opportunities that harness the soursop's added-value and the industrial use of its pulp. The company will also promote the consolidation of the production-trade alliance between the companies interested in developing agro-industrial processes with this fruit and producer associations interested in developing productive enterprises from this delicious fruit.
Source: Agraria