The Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Jose Hernandez, said today that blueberries, whose entry into China is under negotiation, will be the bridge for other Peruvian agricultural products to access the Asian market.
In the fourth Ministerial Meeting on Food Security of the 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), being held in Piura, he said other countries in this region were interested in accelerating the entry of other products.
"We've spoken about blueberries, as well as Hass avocados, tangerines, pomegranates, and other products. Being able to sell these products in those nations, especially in Asia, would benefit our small producers," he said.
He said he had spoken with his counterparts from the United States, China, Taipei, Japan, and New Zealand.
"We see a huge possibility and we'll take advantage of it in these APEC meetings in Piura," he added.
He also recalled that, under President Kuczynski, the government's goal was to double Peruvian agricultural exports and reach 10 billion dollars in sales by 2021.
Progress with China
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri) met with Chinese authorities to intensify efforts to enable the early entry of Peruvian blueberries to that country.
China is a potential market of 1.3 billion consumers.
"We are confident that we'll be able to sign the phytosanitary protocol allowing the entry of blueberries with the Chinese representatives in November during the APEC leaders' summit in Lima," he said.
Source: andina.com.pe