The Association of Producers and Exporters of Passion Fruit (Cooperativa APREMAC) in the district of Laredo, province of Trujillo, was presented as an example of a successful case in the region of La Libertad, due to the gradual growth it has had in this area since 2013, thanks to the technical advice and market articulation of Sierra and Selva Exportadora.
This presentation was made at the end of the forum panel entitled Agriculture Sector Policies and Interagency Articulation, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in coordination with the Association of Water User Associations of La Libertad (AJULL) in the province of Viru, to celebrate the day of the peasant in the region of la Libertad.
The president of APREMAC, Victor Velasquez Quispe, said that thanks to the intervention and technical advice of Sierra and Selva Exportadora, La Libertad, they had managed to increase their production of passion fruit from 10 hectares to 72 hectares, and gone from being a small Association of producers, to a formally legalized cooperative with 16 partners in September 2015. Currently, the Association comprises 26 associates.
Producers are now receiving training to receive their Global GAP certification and thereby expand the market to export. "This certification will be made with funding from INNOVATE," he said.
It should be noted that APREMAC plans to have 140 hectares by the end of this year. It is also marketing 30 tons of passion fruit per week (a container) with the Lindley Corporation (Inca Kola).
Passion fruit is a tropical fruit of a plant that grows in the form of a vine and belongs to the passionflower family, which has 400 known varieties. Its juice is sour and aromatic.