Peruvian asparagus exports slowly recover from pandemic

Peruvian asparagus participation in the European market has seen a 30 percent increase so far in 2022.

“We maintained the same level of sales for 2020 and 2021 for frozen and fresh. In the case of fresh, the Peruvian participation in the European market has increased by 30 percent,” Lionel Arce Orbegozo, the general manager of the Beta Agroindustrial Complex, told America Retail.

When asked why in recent years there has been a certain stagnation in the growth of production and areas dedicated to the cultivation of asparagus, he pointed out that it is basically due to the increase in labor costs and the supply chain.

Another factor is the absence of actions to promote asparagus in the world by the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism (Promperú).

In this regard, he indicated that, unfortunately, most promotional activities have been suspended and postponed due to the lack of platforms such as fairs and face-to-face business roundtables due to the pandemic.

For Peru overall, 70 percent of exports go to the U.S. market, while Beta Agroindustrial Complex exports 30 percent to the U.S., 30 percent to England, 20 percent to Spain, and 20 percent to various destinations.