Cancel OK

Peruvian ag exports to U.S. exceed $1 billion in a quarter for first time

vanguard peru grapes
Peruvian grapes, courtesy Vanguard

From January to March this year, imports of agricultural products in the U.S. totaled $19.6 billion, 18 percent more compared to the same period the previous year, according to Agraria.

Of the total imported by the U.S., purchases of fruits, vegetables, and grains from Peru reached $1.176 billion, reflecting an increase of 35 percent compared to the first quarter in 2021. This was first time that Peruvian exports exceeded $1 billion in a quarter, which were driven by coffee (+131 percent), and fruit (+33 percent).

The main Peruvian products imported by the U.S. were grapes, blueberries, and coffee, which achieved a joint share of 67 percent.

The U.S. imported 347,939 tons of grapes for $1.14 billion, 3 percent more in volume and 17 percent more in value compared to the same period the previous year.

Purchases of the fruit from Peru totaled 162,918 tons for $517 million, 20 percent more in volume and 34 percent more in value compared to the first quarter of 2021. Peru supplied 47 percent of the grapes imported by the U.S.

Blueberry imports in the U.S. totaled 98,005 tons for $654 million, 13 percent more in volume and 16 percent more in value compared to the first quarter of 2021. Purchases of the Peruvian berry totaled 18,575 tons for $110 million, 91 percent more in volume and 92 percent more in value compared to the same period of the previous year.

In these months, the main blueberry suppliers in the U.S. were Chile (50 percent share with 9 percentage points less than the previous year), Mexico (30 percent with 1 percentage point more) and Peru (19 percent with 8 percentage points plus).

Twitter

Marco Campos is Media Coordinator, Latin America for Blue Book Services