In the first eight months of this year (January-August), agricultural exports amounted to $3.046 million dollars and the agricultural trade balance reached a surplus equivalent to $361 million dollars, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI).
In the accumulated period, major acquisitions of Peruvian products came from South Korea, which accumulated a growth of 32%, England (22%), Chile (21%), Mexico (12%), Ecuador (8%) and Japan (8%).
The biggest exports were of fresh asparagus, which increased by 8%, fresh and frozen mangos (26% and 27%, respectively), Cavendish Valery bananas (23%), cocoa beans (21%), mandarins (14%), and prepared and frozen vegetables (25%).
Non-traditional agricultural exports between January and August amounted to $2.754 million dollars, 0.1% less than in the same period of 2014. This category accounted for 90% of total agricultural exports.
The most demanded items in the market were fruits and vegetables. For example, fresh avocado had sales of $283 million dollars, fresh grapes had sales of $231 million, fresh asparagus of $225 million, fresh mangoes for $151 million and cocoa beans for $117 million dollars.
Meanwhile, traditional agricultural exports amounted to $292 million dollars and this category represented 10% of total agricultural exports.
Trade balance
In the first eight months of the year, the agricultural trade balance had a surplus of $361 million dollars, as total exports amounted to $3.046 million dollars and imports totalled $2.685 million dollars FOB.
There was an improvement in FOB prices of various export items, such as frozen mango (48%), fresh mango (42%), Brazilian shelled nuts (12%), and fresh asparagus (9%), among other products with a great demand in the market.
Similarly, the Minagri revealed that, between January and August, Peru shipped agricultural exports to 139 countries worldwide. The United States remains the largest recipient of Peruvian products with 28%, followed by the Netherlands (14%), Ecuador (5%), and England (5%), among others.
In August, agricultural exports totalled $412 million dollars while imports amounted to $316 million dollars, representing a positive trade balance of $95 million dollars. The largest placements were of blueberries, which increased 427%, fresh onions (38%), cocoa beans (27%), mandarins (20%), and Cavendish Valery bananas (12%), among other products.
Source: gestion.pe