According to the Agrodata Peru website, in 2017 asparagus exports (fresh, preserved, and frozen) totaled US $519,975,121, i.e. 6.4% less than the US $555,380,725 achieved in the previous year.
In terms of volume, last year Peru exported 146,737,871 kilos of asparagus, which is 9.4% less than the 161,924,603 kilos it shipped out in 2016.
The executive director of the Peruvian Institute of Asparagus and Vegetables (IPEH), Carlos Zamorano Macchiavelo, said that this reduction in volume (productivity) had been due to the effects of the Coastal El Niño phenomenon.
"The fields produced less because of this. Producers also decided to shorten the campaign so that the fields could rest and recover. We should have a better campaign this year and an interesting recovery of productive yields," he said.
Fresh asparagus
According to Agrodata Peru, Peruvian fresh asparagus exports totaled US $388,249,030 in 2017, i.e. 4.24% less than the US $405,404,027 achieved in 2016.
The country exported 109,859,697 kilos of fresh asparagus in 2017, i.e. 7.90% less than the 119,276,124 kilos it exported in 2016.
In 2017, the main destination for Peru's fresh asparagus was the United States, which purchased US $245,068,000, i.e. 63.1% of the total. It was followed by the United Kingdom with US $41,343,000, the Netherlands with US $ 39,342,000, and Spain with US $28,751,000, among others.
Preserved asparagus
Last year, Peru's preserved asparagus shipments amounted to US $ 95,113,026, i.e. 17.75% less than the US $ 115,636,015 achieved in 2016.
In 2017, the country exported 28,423,479 kilos of preserved asparagus, i.e. 17.23% less than the 34,340,683 kilos it exported the previous year.
The main markets were Spain with purchases for US $ 33,942,000, France with US $ 27,080,000, and the United States with US $ 14,621,000.
Frozen asparagus
Frozen asparagus exports amounted to US $ 36,613,065 in 2017, i.e. 3.30% more than the US $ 35,443,914 achieved in the previous year.
Last year, the country exported 8,454,695 kilos of frozen asparagus, i.e. 1.77%, more than the 8,307,796 kilos it shipped in 2016.
The main destinations were the United States with US $15,474,000, Japan with US $11,679,000, Spain with US $5,963,000, and Italy with US $1,171,000, among others.
According to Zamorano, producers of fresh asparagus might be interested in the frozen category as freezing the product helps regulate prices.
"When producers have an excess in supply they shouldn't ship all of their volume because it would lead to a decrease in prices. Freezing the product allows producers to regulate the quantity they ship, maintaining prices, and entering the frozen market, which is also lucrative. That's why there's been an increase in investments in frozen lines and a growth in this sector," he stated.
Source: agraria.pe