Peru to target greater UK trade at London Produce Show

The continued expansion of fresh fruit and vegetable production in Peru presents opportunities to increase UK-bound exports

LONDON – Peru’s burgeoning fresh produce trade is planning to grow its UK business for asparagus, avocados, blueberries, citrus, mangoes, pomegranates and table grapes, among other items, at next week’s London Produce Show & Conference.

 The country’s leading exporter associations, Agap, Apem, Ipeh, ProCitrus, ProHass, ProVid, and the newly-established ProArándanos and ProGranadas will be represented by the Peru Trade and Investment Office in the UK at the inaugural trade fair and conference to be held on 4-6 June at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

Recently-appointed UK director Jaime Cardenas notes that there is still great potential to increase exports of Peruvian fresh fruits and vegetables to the UK, particularly in view of the South American country’s emerging blueberry and pomegranate trades.

“This year we estimate that our exports to the UK will reach at least 82,500 tonnes, with higher supplies of avocados and blueberries in particular,» he explains. «This is a growth of 15% compared with 2013 when 71,732 tonnes were exported.”

Peruvian fresh fruit and vegetable exports are climbing steadily year-on-year as production in the South American country continues to expand.

“Over the next five years new large-scale irrigation projects will develop additional modern production areas in the coastal and low mountainous areas of Olmos, Chavimochic, Chinecas and Majes-Siguas,” Cardenas reveals.

“We hope that this additional production, with its higher efficiency and productivity levels and continued high quality and sanitary standards, will resonate with the UK market and its consumers.”

Peru has a longstanding export history with the UK since the 1990s when exports of fresh asparagus and table grapes began.

Since then avocados, citrus, mangoes, snow peas, bananas, pomegranates and most recently blueberries have been added to the export offer.

“Europe is the largest market for Peru and within the region the UK is the second-biggest destination after the Netherlands. We are very keen to take care of this special relationship as we develop the market further,” Cardenas says.

Over the last 13 years Agap estimates that Peruvian fresh fruit and vegetable exports to the UK have increased by 27% annually in both value and volume terms.

Export value has risen from US$8 million in 2000 to US$151 million in 2013, while export volume has climbed from 3,946 tonnes to 71,732 tonnes during the same period.

The UK is already one of the biggest destinations for many of Peru’s fresh produce items and suppliers enjoy an established market presence but there is still room for growth, according to Cardenas.

“Peru exports more than 50 fresh fruits and vegetables to the world and some special fruits are yet to be fully developed on the UK market, such as passion fruit, granadilla, lucuma, cherimoya, prickly pear (cactus fig) and golden berries,” he points out.

“Blueberries also entered the UK market in 2012 with a trial of 15 tonnes. Last year exports reached 157 tonnes and we expect to at least triple that volume in 2014. Clementines also have the potential to continue growing.”

This year Peru’s citrus industry plans to increase its exports to the UK by 20%. Investment is also being made in to new varieties as the sector seeks to maintain its position of leadership in the UK.

Blueberries and asparagus, meanwhile, were the fastest-growing exports to the UK market last year.

Blueberries recorded a significant 890% increase in export value to US$1.68 million on the back of the first full export season for the fruit.

Asparagus export value also increased by 74.8% to US$51.2 million thanks to high consumer demand and Peru’s complementary season to local UK production.

“Now that the associations for the blueberry and pomegranate industries have been established and incorporated into Agap during the last couple of months there will be further coordinated efforts to drive exports of these two rapidly expanding industries, for which we see much potential on the UK market in particular,” Cardenas notes.

The UK also remains a solid and expanding export market for Peruvian avocados, mangoes and table grapes.

About the Peru Trade and Investment Office in the UK

The Peru Trade and Investment Office in the UK forms part of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. Headquartered in London at the Embassy of Peru in Great Britain, the office is responsible for developing and strengthening the trading and economic ties between Peruvian and UK businesses with the aim of fostering greater trade and investment between the two nations.