Sales of Peruvian avocados rose by an impressive 135 per cent in value terms to some US$9.9m between January and March compared with the year-earlier period, according to figures revealed by Peru's Foreign Trade Society (ComexPerú) and reported by Andina Peru.
The Netherlands ranked the leading destination for exports, accounting for US$6.6m-worth of sales or 66 per cent of volume, followed by Spain with a US$2.2m share or 22 per cent.
Other markets included Russia, France and the US, which combined represented US$1.2m-worth of sendings.
The main exporters were Agroindustrias Solcace (with 21 per cent of total exports), Agricola Ayacucho (20 per cent) and Agroindustrias Verdeflor (16 per cent).
Between 2001 and 2011, Peru’s avocado export volume has also increased significantly, the report said.
Shipments of fresh and dried avocados from Peru amounted to 81,542 tonnes last year, up from just 2,500 tonnes in 2001.
Last year, total Peruvian avocado exports also reached some US$161.5 in value, an increase of 90 per cent on 2010.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Peru ranked as the sixth-largest producer of avocados in the world in 2010, with a 184,370-tonne crop, behind Mexico and Chile in first and second place.
?During the first quarter of 2012, Peru’s non-traditional agricultural exports rose by 11 per cent to US$691m in value, the report said.
Table grapes led the category with US$121m-worth of the sales, up 29 per cent on the same period last year.
Meanwhile, other fruits have registered solid performance during the first quarter, with avocado sales up 135 per cent, mangoes up by 27 per cent and fresh asparagus up by 13.5 per cent.
