The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Desilú León Chempén, indicated that the increase in shipments was due to greater contributions from the fishing, agricultural and mining sectors.
Peru's Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Desilú León Chempén, highlighted today that, in the first eight months of this year, exports of goods grew 13.8%, after reaching US$ 46,799 million, that is, US$ 5,681 million more than in the same period in 2023.
He indicated that this increase in exports was due to the greater contributions of the main sectors of the Peruvian economy: fishing (27.3%), agriculture (+18.9%) and mining (+14.5%).
In the fishing sector, exports of fishmeal and fish oil increased due to the recovery in anchovy extraction. Exports of canned fish (+63.4%) and frozen fish (+19.9%: includes fresh and dried fish) also increased, offsetting the lower external sales of squid (-54.8%).
In the agricultural sector, the main highlights were the increased sales of cocoa beans (+328%) thanks to the strong increase in international prices, and coffee (+74%). Fruit exports, which account for 50% of the country's agricultural exports, continued to increase (+9.8%), mainly blueberries (+38.7%) and avocados (+28.5%).
In mining, the highest sales of gold (+56.2%) stood out, which is the second most important product that Peru exports. Copper exports, which account for a third of Peru's exports of goods, grew 1.6% in the period January-August, totaling US$ 15,206 million. In the sector, exports of tin (+38.8%), molybdenum (+16.6%) and iron (+13.8%) also grew.
During the period from January to August, 17 regions increased their exports: Puno (109%), Ucayali (95%), Huánuco (90%), Amazonas (57%), Loreto (43%), Ancash (25%), Tacna (24%), Pasco (22%), San Martín (18%), Ica (15%), Moquegua (15%), La Libertad (14%), Cajamarca (5%), Ayacucho (4%), Junín (4%), Arequipa (4%) and Madre de Dios (3%).
“The dynamics of foreign trade are based on the implementation of a policy developed consistently over the last 20 years, which has been yielding results. Exports continue to grow and the Government is committed to continuing on this path,” said Desilú León.
"The figures we present demonstrate the importance of the sector for Peru's economic growth, job creation and increased family consumption," he added.
The minister noted that work is underway to ensure that, by the end of 2024, Peru can record, as in previous years, a new export record, driven mainly by the joint growth of the country's main economic sectors.
So far in 2024 (January-August), the number of exporters increased by 3.8%, reaching a total of 8,146. Peruvian companies exported goods to 170 markets, mainly China (35% of the total), the United States (13%) and the European Union (11%).
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) indicated that, in August of this year alone, exports grew by 26.4% compared to the same month in 2023, totaling US$ 6,718 million.
