In the business world, as well as in other areas, an opportunity usually only knocks once. Even though there are major structural issues that explain the loss of commercial options, the truth is that there are many Peruvian products with a huge potential that are being wasted due to a lack of organization.
Agroindustrial engineer Ronald Rimari Barzola, a consultant in frozen agricultural exports who has a special interest in the development of the Peruvian native potato industry, recently spoke about such an opportunity.
Some weeks ago, during a conference about agricultural development, he recalled that there was a processing plant for native potatoes in the district of Chilca that had managed to export more than half a million dollars of native potatoes between 2015 and 2016. At the beginning of this year, he said, the processing plant had a great opportunity, which unfortunately they had to let go.
"A Chinese businessman visited them some weeks ago. He wanted to buy 300 tons of native potatoes a year, but getting that amount is difficult because this is a polarized production. That's the importance of associativity," he said.
According to experts on the subject, native potatoes do not occur continuously or in large areas, so it is difficult to meet orders of this magnitude.
Despite this reality, Rimari considers that, if producers worked together, there could be the possibility of carrying out a commercial project of this magnitude by freezing the native potatoes. This procedure would help to increase the tuber's lifespan while maintaining its nutritional content and sensory characteristics.
"An initiative like this should aim to develop a new concept based on these potatoes. The potatoes we import, for example, are the pre-fried frozen varieties from the Netherlands that have an average price of 80 cents per kilo, while the native potato that we export to the United States costs approximately 2.5 dollars per kilo. That's a big difference," he said.
To promote this line, the expert said, producers must comply with certain phytosanitary requirements, as the Peruvian native potatoes need a microbiological certificate, detailing if they have heavy metals and their pesticide level, to enter the US market. In addition, if the exporter wants to offer an added value, they can have organic certification.
"The processing plant has to be enabled, It has to have a BPM quality and HACCP certification... To make frozen potatoes, it should use continuous tunnel processes with conveyor belts, which prevents frost and ice layers from forming, and preserves the product's natural appearance, "he concluded.
Source: agraria.pe