Peru might become one of the leading suppliers to the UK if they achieve a bilateral agreement with this country after it exits the European Union, stated the Association of Exporters (ADEX), which identified 180 missed opportunities at that destination.
According to Juan Varilias Velasquez, the president of ADEX, the UK has been very important for the growth of Peru's non-traditional exports in the last 5 years. "In that period, the UK was the second biggest growing market (82%), after Canada (104%)," he said.
As a result, he said, the UK went from being the country's fourteenth most important destination for its value-added products to the ninth in 2016. The export sector is the main driver of this change, he added.
In 2016, Peru was the fifth largest supplier of this country in South America, after Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. The UK demands gold, asparagus, avocados, fresh grapes, blueberries, coffee, citrus, mangos, and unalloyed tin from Peru.
In 2016 Peruvian shipments to the UK amounted to nearly US $ 650 million, US $336 million of which were of traditional products, i.e. 51.8% of the exports, and US $ 313 million of which were of non-traditional products, i.e. 48.2%.
Opportunities
ADEX's Management of Economic Studies identified 180 opportunities for more than US $2,006 million.
Some agro-industrial products that could be exported to UK are: preparations for animal feed, onions and fresh shallots or chilled, vegetables, cookies, other uncooked pasta, baked goods, and confectionary products, among others.