The cost effectiveness of a crop is also down to the number of hectares invested as well as to labor costs. When you have a thousand hectares of table grapes ready to be exported all over the world, you become a global player.
Fruit and vegetables are growing in Peru and most of the produce is exported. The value of exports in 2017 reached €3.7 billion and, in 2018, it's growing by 16%. The leading product is table grapes, followed by avocados, mangoes, blueberries and bananas.
Ecosac, a private company owned by two local entrepreneurs, operates in Piura. It's located in the mid-west of the region, north of the Sechura desert and 981 km north of Lima, near the border with Ecuador. Company representatives have been invited to the next edition of Macfrut by President Renzo Piraccini.
The company covers 6000 hectares in total, 1000 of which are dedicated to table grapes. It grows 25 seedless and seeded varieties, exported all over the world. The Red Globe variety is currently being harvested.
"Ecosac also cultivates 500 hectares of peppers destined to the domestic processing industry. They also started cultivating 100 hectares of avocados and are even testing Tahiti and Eureka lemons," explains Renzo Piraccini.
The company currently employs 6200 people, 2500 of which are permanently hired. At peak times, 7000 people work for it. An employer of the lowest level gets around $250 a month, while office and specialized workers get higher wages.
Ecosac is one of the leading grape producers and exporters in Peru. During the last campaign, it exported over 1000 40-feet-long containers to all continents and mainly to Asia. This year, the number is expected to increase due to the fact other vineyards should start producing. The wide range of varieties covers the entire campaign.
Grapes are sorted to assure the quality of a product that, in most cases, must travel to different continents.