The head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri), Juan Manuel Benites, stated that Peru would become a world power in the production of fruits and vegetables in the short term because of the completion of its irrigation projects.
"Peru will become one of the top ten suppliers of food in the world. Our country will stand out as an international power in the production of fruits and vegetables," he said during a working visit to the main centers of agricultural exports in the Northern region of the country.
He also stressed the role that the Minagri played, via the National Service of Agrarian Health (Senasa), so that new products gained access to international markets, which would allow the country to have a 3% growth rate in the agricultural sector this year and achieve agricultural exports that will exceed 6 billion dollars.
He said the completion of the Palo Redondo dam (which is part of the Chavimochic III project in the province of Viru) was scheduled for 2018, and that it would allow them to expand the agricultural frontier by 63,000 new hectares and to improve 48,000 hectares devoted to crop production for exports.
He said the Chavimochic III special project would benefit the Valley of Chicama, which is considered the largest and most fertile valley in La Libertad. "This will also help raise the national gross domestic product (GDP) by more than 1.2 billion dollars and generate 150,000 jobs in the agricultural sector," he added.
Source: andina.com.pe