Peru’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Gustavo Mostajo, visited Ica on Wednesday for the official launch of the region’s table grape export campaign.
With an annual output of 196,000 tonnes, Ica is Peru’s leading grape producing region, ahead of Piura, Lambayeque, Trujillo, Ancash and Arequipa.
Mostajo highlighted the huge growth the sector has experienced in recent years. “Peruvian grapes have conquered many markets, and now reach more than 60 countries, of which the most important are the US, China, the European Union, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia,” he said.
The minister said negotiations were also underway to open up new markets, with Japan, Chile and Argentina all expected to open in 2019.
According to forecasts from Scotiabank, Peru is set to export 365,000 tonnes of grapes between October 2018 and March 2019, a 36 per cent increase on the previous season, during which El Niño impacted production in northern regions.
