After months of intense negotiations, representatives of Peru’s plant health authority and its Chinese counterpart have formally signed the protocol to allow exports of fresh Peruvian blueberries to China.
The deal, which was reached on Wednesday after a 12-hour meeting between Senasa and AQSIQ, has been hailed as a major achievement for the Peruvian industry, opening up a potential market of 1.4bn consumers.
Peru has been ramping up its blueberry production in the past three years and poised to become South America’s second biggest exporter after Chile.
Blueberries join the growing list of fruits and vegetables to secure access to the Chinese market, which now includes Hass avocados, table grapes, mango and asparagus. Pomegranates and quinoa are the next products in line for negotiations according to the Peruvian government.
