Sergio del Castillo, general manager of the Association of Citrus Producers of Peru (Procitrus), said they expected to open the Indian and Vietnamese markets for the export of Peruvian citrus fruits soon.
Del Castillo said the bilateral negotiations to achieve a Free Trade Agreement with India were still ongoing. “India wants to exchange Peruvian fruit for rice or peanuts. However, those are issues being negotiated between both countries. In recent months, the highest-level officials were more concerned about internal problems,” he said.
"Regarding the opening of Vietnam, a technical mission from that country must come to review the entire citrus export certification system. However, this hasn't happened yet because of the pandemic," the general manager of Procitrus stated.
Export volume increased by 35%
There was a great international demand for Peruvian citrus fruits in 2020. According to data from Procitrus, last year Peru shipped 260,000 tons of citrus, i.e. 35% more than in 2019.
Mandarins accounted for 76% of all citrus shipments. They were followed by oranges (11%), tangelos (7%), and grapefruits (1%); the remaining corresponded to Tahiti and Sutil limes.
The main destination markets for these fruits were the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, and China.
“Our goal is to maintain these volumes. We think that when the people of the northern hemisphere get vaccinated they won't be so desperate to eat citrus. But that’s speculation. We still have to wait and see what happens because we don't know what the markets will demand," Del Castillo said.
Source: elcomercio.pe