Peru is seeking access to China for products including blueberries and quinoa, according to Peruvian agriculture minister Jose Hernandez, who pointed to the market’s huge potential customer base of 1.2bn consumers.
The remarks were made following the minister's meeting with Chinese ambassador to Peru, Jia Guide, with the goal of strengthening cooperation between the nations.
Hernandez took the opportunity to request acceleration of blueberry export protocol negotiations, with the aim of concluding a protocol during the upcoming Lima Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum's Summit in mid-November.
The event will see the Peruvian president pay his first official visit to China, accompanied by the head of the National Agricultural Sanitation Service (SENASA), Jorge Barrenechea, who will address the blueberry phytosanitary export protocol with his Chinese counterpart.
Hernandez also expressed his appreciation for the readiness of Chinese authorities to cooperate on matters including agriculture, technified irrigation, product access to market and exchange of research into new seed varieties.
One of the key issues discussed at the meeting was China’s support for the implementation of the National Germplasm Bank, an institution designed for the registration and conservation of Peruvian agricultural genetic material.
