In 2000, the United States bought fresh Peruvian fruits for US$14 million, but in 2023 the figure rose to US$2,277 million. In the case of fresh vegetables, it went from US$ 50 million in 2000 to US$ 345 million in 2023
In 2023, Peru was the second exporter of fresh fruits to the United States with US$ 2,277 million (CIF amount), concentrating 12% of the total imported by that country (US$ 18,955 million), only surpassed by Mexico and ahead of Chile , Guatemala and Costa Rica.
This was stated by the international regulatory expert of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Latin America, Gonzalo Ibáñez.
He indicated that the presence of Peruvian foods in general in the United States has evolved exponentially over the years, ranking 14th in global suppliers to that country, adding just over US$4 billion last year (CIF amount).
“In 2000, the United States bought fresh Peruvian fruits for just US$14 million, but in 2023 the figure rose to US$2,277 million. In the case of fresh vegetables, the same thing happens, it went from US$ 50 million in 2000 to US$ 345 million in 2023,” he explained.
He also highlighted Peru's leadership as the main supplier to the United States of table grapes with US$ 992 million (40% of the total), surpassing Mexico (34% representation), Chile (23%) and Brazil (3%); and blueberries with US$ 867 million (49% of the total), followed by Mexico (32%), Chile (11%), and Canada (7%).
This was stated during his presentation at the 'FDA Summit: Peru 2024', an event held in Lima and Trujillo by the Association of Exporters (ADEX), the National Agrarian Health Service (Senasa), the FDA and Protec.
Ibáñez highlighted the good performance of other fruits such as citrus, mango or avocado, so the Peruvian potential remains latent to consolidate these and other products in the US market.
“The United States imports more than US$200 billion worth of food from the world. In addition, the consumer trend is increasing, spending about US$600 annually on imported foods. According to numbers as of 2019, 55% of fruits consumed in this market are imported, in the case of vegetables it is 32% and in the case of fish and seafood it is 94%,” he explained.
Safety
In 2023, a total of 1,049 Peruvian companies exported agricultural and agro-industrial foods to the United States, a country that became the main buyer of these products worldwide.
In the opinion of Adex's central export manager, Diego Llosa, it is essential that producers and exporters have updated information on the safety regulations established by the FDA.
“Through knowledge of the regulations, any retention of shipments and cargo can be avoided, which would affect the image of our country and of a particular company. We must contribute to our reputation of being a reliable and globally recognized supplier,” he indicated.
He added that, despite the negative projections, total exports in 2023 had an increase of 1.1%, again reaching a record figure, exceeding US$ 64,000 million (FOB amount), mainly due to mining shipments, but also agricultural products.
“The agro-export sector is an important driver of economic development, in 2023 (traditional and non-traditional) the barrier of US$ 10,000 million (FOB amount) was surpassed, an average growth of 4%,” he noted.
“The United States was the main recipient of these shipments, in 2023 it had an increase of 7%, reaching US$ 3,622 million (FOB amount), representing a third of agricultural exports,” he added.
Among the main products we can mention blueberries, table grapes, fresh asparagus, coffee, avocado, citrus fruits and mango, products in which Peru is in the top 3 of production. It should be noted that these goods benefit from the Trade Agreement between both countries.
As of December 2023, Peru had 1,374 establishments (production plants) registered with the FDA.
