The strawberry production in Spain and Morocco, the major producers of this fruit, leaves a gap in the market in the months of October and November and early December. This commercial window could be profitably used by Peru as a potential producer and exporter of fresh strawberries. While this is a fairly new issue for the South American country, more and more producers are becoming interested in this opportunity.
"Peruvian strawberries have been exported for many years to markets such as the US, Canada, the Netherlands and other European countries, but until recently, the only option was the frozen version. This situation is gradually changing, because while our production volume peaks in September, October and November, other producing countries no longer have fruit available from mid-October to late November," affirms José Antonio Lizárraga, of Del Ande.
New market opportunity
In order to take advantage of this potential market opening, a number of projects are being developed nationwide to encourage the fresh export of this fruit, mainly to Spain. If we take into account that this European country is the largest consumer and producer of strawberries in the world, since 50% of the fruit they produce is intended for the domestic market, the business opportunities there are, frankly, interesting.
"Peruvian frozen strawberries are appreciated worldwide, which makes this new market an interesting alternative for producers. But we must note that fresh strawberries for export have totally different requirements compared to the frozen ones. They have to be cultivated in a different way and using other technologies so that it can withstand the shipment and stay in good condition until it reaches the consumer's table. The San Andreas, Albion and Cristal varieties are the most suitable, as they are suited to these Peruvian latitudes, do not need many hours of light and are more resistant to rising temperatures," asserts Lizárraga.
"While the foreign market does not necessarily pay more than the domestic one, it is more stable; it offers more possibilities and has the capacity to receive higher volumes than what the local market can absorb. Peru definitely has the potential and capacity to lead the market in this period, but there are still very few companies involved in this project. We, as a company, have now 20 hectares devoted to the cultivation of strawberries, half of which will be used to produce fresh strawberries for export. We also hope to double that in the coming years," concluded the spokesperson.
For more information:
Jose Antonio Lizárraga