Peru’s agro-food market is on a winning streak as agri-exports soar. The new Chancay Port which will be inaugurated in November is expected to boost food business to Asia, a target region for the country.
At SIAL Paris this year, food brands from Peru are represented by ADEX, the country’s exporters association. After mining, food and agricultural products are Peru’s second biggest export with revenue reaching $10 billion (approximately €9.2 billion) for the first time in 2023. In the eight months leading up to August 2024, total country exports grew by 13.8% and the agri-business was up by 56.1%.
ADEX Agro-exports Manager, Claudia Solano Oré told SIAL Daily that the reason for the big increase was price rather than volume, with foods like cocoa rising sharply. At SIAL Paris, Peru’s exhibitors are most focused on natural products such as giant corn, chia seeds, quinoa, and purple corn.
“All our products are non-GMO and some come from very specific regions of Peru,” said Ms Solano Oré. “We are diversifying our markets. We’re well established in Europe and the United States but are now looking more at Asia; markets like China, South Korea, and Japan. We have positive expectations for next year.”
One reason for this is the opening of the new Chancay Port which will be able to handle larger vessels. Financed by a Chinese company, it will connect Asian markets in less time, taking up to 10 days off food travel times to the region. China’s president will be attending the port’s inauguration in November, indicating just how important the project is to both countries.