In the last edition of Fruit Logistica in Germany, Peru officially announced that it is about to enter the cherry business.
According to Promperú, this fruit started to be tested in the country before 2018 by companies such as Viveros El Tambo. The only agroindustrial company carrying out tests is Beta Agroindustrial Complex. However, according to information that the National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA) shared with Gestion.pe, in 2022 the country issued 11 phytosanitary permits for the import of cherry propagation material, mainly from Chile.
Francisco Moraga, the general manager of Viveros El Tambo in Peru, said that, in November of this year and after almost five years of study, they will deliver their first batch of ready-to-sow cherry seedlings to the companies with which they have a commercial alliance, to verify how this berry behaves in different areas of the country.
“Everything is still on an experimental level but we expect commercial testing to begin in 2024. The challenge is not only for the plants to adapt but for the Peruvian campaign to begin before November and December, that is to say, before the campaign in Chile, the world's leading cherry exporter," he stated.
In recent years, the company has undertaken adaptation studies on five patented cherry varieties. This year they hope to obtain the permits to import rootstocks, which would allow them to obtain results in less time. “Ideally, we'll be able to grow it in areas that are cold in winter and hot in spring. The cultivation of cherries in Peru will be successful. It will take its time, just like blueberry and grape did,” he added.
Source: gestion.pe