Cherries are set to become Peru’s newest export crop thanks to government efforts to promote their cultivation in Andean zones.
Senasa announced that it had recently concluded a pest risk analysis and approved regulations paving the way for the introduction of more commercial rootstocks and stimulate local production.
A year ago, trade promotion agency Sierra Exportadora established a trial orchard in Huarochirí with different varieties grafted onto rootstocks adapted to local conditions and the results are being monitored closely.
The agency said that at US$8,000-US$10,000 per hectare, the costs of investing in cherry production are far lower than those for blueberries, while returns were similar for both crops, yielding around US$120,000 by the fifth year of production.
Peru’s production window falls ahead of Chile, which currently supplies around 90 per cent of Southern Hemisphere cherries.
