The value of Peruvian citrus exports grows by 43%

Peru is finding 2020 to be a record year for citrus exports.

According to the Peruvian Foreign Trade Society (ComexPeru), Peruvian citrus shipments have achieved historical figures between January and August of this year totaling 230,228 tons valued at $258 million reflecting a 43 percent increase when compared to the same time period last year while also surpassing the total export value achieved in all of last year, as reported by Agraria.

This growth is due to higher demand from citrus in main destination markets such as the United States which imported $126 million of citrus (an increase of 67.6 percent), the United Kingdom with $34 million (an increase of 11.4 percent), the Netherlands with $34 million (an increase of 20.5 percent), Canada with $17 million (an increase of 18.5 percent), and China with $16 million (an increase of 42.46 percent).

Leading this sector are mandarins, of which $227 million were exported (an increase of 48 percent) and accounting for 88 percent of all citrus exports, followed by tangelos (5 percent), and lemons (4 percent).

A major factor in the growth comes from the improvement of exports from April to August, which complements the United States’ production from November to May.

Export volumes varied positively in the months of April (up 68 percent), May (up 38 percent), June (up 40 percent), July (up 44 percent), and August (up 57 percent), when compared to the same months last year.

Sergio del Castillo, general manager of the Association of Citrus Producers in Peru (ProCitrus), BB #:349197 said that exports had increased because of the boom in citrus consumption due to the pandemic and because the U.S. mandarin production had concluded earlier than usual.

Between January and August, the department of Lima exported 82,886 tons of mandarins worth $103 million, per data from Sunat.

About 71 percent of this total came from the province of Huaral, followed by Cañete (20 percent) and Huaura (8 percent). The department of Ica exported 81,958 tons worth $100 million, with $69 million coming from the province of Chincha. The department of La Libertad came in with 7,954 tons exported worth $23 million, doubling its 2019 exported volume during the same period.

The departments of Lima, Ica, and La Libertad concentrated 45 percent, 44 percent, and 10 percent of total exports, respectively.

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