Strawberry production in Peru is on the rise, and due to both the country’s climate as well as the increasing popularity of IQF, they are able to export the product year-round.
Agro Natural Park SAC works with mango and avocado producing associations in Norte Chico and Norte del Perú, but they also produce strawberries and raspberries. Currently, they are in the middle of their strawberry season.
Jose Cordero, the company’s general manager, says: “Our fields comprise about 30 hectares for the strawberry cultivation and are located in the valleys of the Norte Chico region in Peru. We started our harvest in July and will continue to harvest until the end of the December – this year we will produce approximately 150 tons of strawberries, which will be processed with an IQF procedure prior to export.”
The volumes of exported IQF strawberries in Peru experienced a huge jump between 2017 and 2018, Jose says. “In 2017, Peru exported 6.5 million kilos, and then in 2018 the number went up to 9.3 million. This year the numbers have remained steady and similar to last year. We had a cold year this year, for our standards, and this has kept the volumes from increasing this year – but we are happy with the level of production we are seeing this year. We’ll be exporting the product to markets in North America, Asia, and Europe, but there are also quite large volumes entering the domestic market here.”
The strawberries in Peru are grown using either a gravity system, or a technified irrigation system. Jose explains: “We currently use the technified irrigation system, but next year we hope to also begin using the Macro Tunnel design, which is a type of greenhouse, in order to innovate our production – this should help increase both the quantity and the quality of our product. Our main varieties are the San Andreas, Aromas, and the Camarosa, but we are seeing a lot of innovation in strawberry varieties and so while these varieties are popular now, in the future I think we will see other varieties enter the market.”
Jose continued: “Our goal as a company is to provide the customer with a product without toxic waste, and we use the strictest international controls on our fruit – such as GlobalGap. Our fields are managed with MIP and BPA programs. We are also working with six new varieties of bio-insecticides for our strawberries that have been giving good results. For now, we focus on trying the deliver the best product we can. We produce our strawberries in our own fields, which helps ensure the traceability and the safety of our production, which is something that is very important to us,” Jose concludes.
For more information:
Jose Cordero
Agro Natural Park SAC
Tel: +51 980655554
Email: agronaturalpark@gmail.com