A total of 10 containers of Hass avocados, produced by small producers in the region of Cusco, will be exported to Shanghai, China, thanks to a strategic alliance with the Camet Trading company and to the advocacy of Sierra and Selva Exportadora.
The first container of 20 tons of avocados was transferred from Cusco to Ica, where the fruit was packaged by the Sun fruits company. The National Service of Agrarian Health (SENASA) inspected the shipment at this packing facility.
The first container of Hass avocados was transferred to the Port of Callao and then to Shanghai, where it will arrive in 35 days. The last container will be sent at the end of April. In total, the producers will export 200 tons of this fruit.
Sierra and Selva Exportadora, an entity attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, stated that this first shipment of Hass avocados from the Peruvian highlands to the Asian giant has opened a new market for small producers. In future campaigns the country hopes to export Hass avocados from Cusco and from other regions of the Peruvian Andes.
To carry out this shipment, this entity provided technical assistance to 160 Hass avocado producers in the district of Limatambo, province of Anta, Cusco, regarding field management and the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to obtain GLOBALGAP certification. This allowed producers to achieve a quality production to access the Chinese market.
Peru has been exporting Hass avocados to the People's Republic of China since 2015. In 2016, the consumption of Hass avocado in China amounted to 60 thousand tons, a far higher volume than the 25 thousand tons consumed in 2015.