Colombia has established itself as the world's leading producer and exporter of cape gooseberry, surpassing the $40-million mark in 2024 for the first time, with exports worth $43.5 million. This is a 9.4% growth over 2023, according to Dian data analyzed by Analdex. Cape gooseberry has positioned itself among the country's top 5 fruit exports by volume, along with banana, avocado, Tahitian lime, and gulupa. Cape gooseberry has experienced steady growth since 2017, when it registered $27.8 million.
Europe and North America are the main export destinations. The Netherlands is the main destination with a 58.7% share and $25.5 million. The United States follows with $6.6 million and a 15.3% share. Germany ranks third with $3.5 million and an 8% share. Belgium ranks fourth with $1.6 million and a 3.7% share. Canada with US$1.4 million and a 3.4% share. Demand in Germany and the United Kingdom increased by 70.3% and 113.2%. Despite being the main importer of Colombian cape gooseberry, the Netherlands' demand only increased by 2.1% over 2023.
"Fresh fruits are an important driver of the country's agro-exports and cape gooseberry is one of its star products, as Colombia is the world's main producer and exporter of this golden fruit. This opens a large market for us, not only in Europe and the United States but throughout the world," stated Javier Díaz Molina, president of Analdex.
In 2024, Colombia accounted for 94% of the world's cape gooseberry production, surpassing Peru (2.7%) and Ecuador (2.9%). Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, and Nariño were the main exporting regions. Carlos Lozano, director of Analdex's Cape Gooseberry's Exporters Committee, highlighted that cape gooseberry "has stood out for years, as it has been growing by around 10% annually."
With rising demand, the Colombian gooseberry is emerging as one of the exotic fruits with the greatest global projection, opening up new opportunities for the country's agriculture in international markets.
Source: agronegocios.co