In the first three months of this year, Peruvian exports of fresh fruit increased its FOB value by 9.7% over the same period in 2016, driven by products such as grapes, mangoes, and citrus.
Fresh grape exports, which continue to be the first export product in the agricultural sector, went from US $194 million in the first quarter of 2016 to US $242 million in the same period of 2017. The export volume increased by 20% and the United States was the main destination market.
Mangoes and citrus also contributed to this growth. They increased by US $6 million and US $1 million, respectively, compared to the same period in 2016.
Meanwhile, fresh vegetable exports decreased by 10.1% in their FOB value, mainly due to the decrease in asparagus exports (-13%).
However, within this sub-sector, fresh garlic showed a 128% increase in its FOB value. Garlic exports went from US$4 million during the first quarter of 2016 to US$9 million during the first three months of this year.
The United States was the main market for fresh fruits and vegetables. It received 35% of the total exported and was followed by the Netherlands (24%).
Coffee bean exports increased by 12% in FOB value and 5% in volume; while organic bananas increased by 1.8% in value and by 2.3% in volume.
During this first quarter, the Peruvian agricultural sector exported a total of US$1,149 million (+5.6%), maintaining its position as the second largest export sector in the country.
Source: gestion.pe