According to the general manager of the Association of Citrus Producers of Peru (ProCitrus), Sergio del Castillo Valderrama, this year Peru is expected to export 200 thousand tons of citrus fruits (mandarins, oranges, tangelo, grapefruit, and lemon), i.e. 10% more than the 180,239 tons it dispatched in 2018.
Del Castillo Valderrama stressed that this increase would be supported by the largest shipments of mandarins, led by the W. Murcott and Tango varieties.
He also said that there were new investments in citrus, in mandarins in La Libertad and lemons in Lambayeque and Piura. He then stated that even though there were no new areas devoted to mandarins in the central coast (Lima and Ica) there was a rotation of crops, i.e. producers went from planting old varieties to planting new ones, which generates a change in production.
He added that the patented varieties that have good characteristics for export will have some development in the country. Having different varieties that allow supplying the fruit in different commercial windows (early, middle and late) is essential for the mandarin business, he added.
Source: agraria.pe
