More than 40 exhibitors presented their products during this year's Fruit Logistica on the 520m2 Peruvian pavilion (the largest Peruvian stand in the last 18 years). For the South American country, Berlin is the most important trade fair date every year, although later in the year it was the second time in a row that the country was represented as a guest country at Asia Fruit Logistica. And not for nothing: because the growth rates of the Peruvian agricultural sector are still impressive. ""The agricultural sector is still the locomotive of the Peruvian economy," confirms Gycs Gordon, contact person of the Peruvian Economic and Trade Office based in Hamburg.
More than 5 million Peruvians are currently working in the agricultural sector. In addition to coffee, fruits of all kinds are the trademark of the local agriculture. The avocado is still top of the list, cultivated blueberries and grapes complete the top 3: "Since 2019 we have been the world champion in blueberry exports, because we have overtaken Chile in terms of total export volume. Nevertheless, we are also one of the largest exporters of avocados and grapes in the world," explains Gordon during an interview at the cooperation stand.
Gycs Gordon (2nd from left) heads the Peruvian Economic and Trade Office in Germany on behalf of the Peruvian Ministry of Trade and Tourism. Here he poses together with representatives of the Peruvian export company Kion Export. The company distributes ginger, turmeric, mango and avocado to Europe, Japan, China, Russia and the USA, among others. In 2019 the company was awarded the national innovation prize for medium-sized companies.
Unique variety diversity characterizes the cultivating country Peru
In addition to ongoing investments in existing farmland, the Peruvians are also in the process of integrating new products into the cultivation. The willingness of local producers to grow new crops is particularly great, said Gordon. "Currently, a lot is being invested in dates and figs. A similar situation exists for soft fruits: Raspberries are grown primarily for the fresh market, while strawberries are mainly produced for the frozen sector. In any case, there is still enough cultivable land available."
Peruvian agriculture has a great variety of crops and structures. The larger and modern farms (mainly in the grape and soft fruit sector) are located on the coast, whereas in the Andes, fruit exotics are more common and small-scale farming cooperatives are more common. As far as grapes are concerned, the company is now able to export fresh fruit throughout the winter. "We start the season in November-December in northern Peru, after which the campaign merges seamlessly into the southern harvest. Due to the variety of the growing areas, we are able to continue our season until around April, and in addition, we are able to offer a wide variety of varieties that meet the needs of the respective markets.
Organic products are also an interesting development area for Peruvian agriculture, adds Gordon. "We are already the world's first producer of organic bananas. Nevertheless, we are also seeing a growing demand for organic products, especially in Europe."
Opening up new markets
The medium-term goal of the Peruvians is to successively expand the product portfolio as well as the export volumes and at the same time develop new markets - such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Gordon said. For this reason, much has been invested in marketing in recent years: True to the 'Super Foods Peru' label, the focus will not only be on the products but also on their origin and producers. "Traceability, or complete traceability, is becoming increasingly important for the modern consumer. One simply wants to know where the product comes from. That's why we appear together at international trade fairs such as Fruit Attraction, World Food Moscow, PMA, Asia Fruit Logistica and Golf Food.
For more information:
Gycs M. Gordon
Wirtschafts- und Handelsbüro Peru - OCEX Hamburgo
Schauenburgerstr. 59
20095 Hamburg
Tel: +49(0)4052474960
E-Mail: info@perutradeoffice.de
www.perutradeoffice.de