Peruvian pineapple still has great potential to increase its exports

Peruvian exports of fresh, dehydrated, and canned pineapples experienced growth of 283.2% in 2020 compared to the previous season, totaling 4,100,000 dollars. Specifically, shipments of fresh and dried pineapples totaled 1,930,000 dollars, registering an increase of 135.9%, and canned pineapples amounted to 2,110,000 dollars, showing an increase of 790.1%.

However, as indicated by the Center for Research on Global Economy and Business of the Association of Exporters (CIEN-ADEX), shipments of pineapples from Peru are in an initial phase and have ample opportunities in international markets, mainly United States, Chile, and the Netherlands. From the entity, it was pointed out that demand could be increased in new destinations if added value is generated, support for the productive chain, and a positioning strategy is carried out with the support of the private and public sectors.

In the opinion of the coordinator of Commercial Intelligence of CIEN-ADEX, Lizbeth Pumasunco, this would generate more companies entering the production chain and exporting with added value.

She highlighted the increase in dehydrated and organic pineapple shipments, and, to boost their growth, she suggested supporting the dehydration process. "There are few companies with maquila plants with machinery for dehydration and lyophilization. These are highly sought after in the world," she said.

According to the study carried out by CIEN-ADEX, fresh and dried pineapples reach new markets. The entity highlighted the start of sales to Canada ($45,900) and South Korea ($14,500). He also highlighted that canned pineapples were sent to 9 markets, highlighting South Korea ($152,100) and Australia ($85,000) as the new destinations.

Another important factor that could boost its production is the prices on the international market. In September 2020, the high average was FOB 14.18 dollars per kilogram; in January, the lowest was 12.82 dollars.

In 2019, Peru ranked 48th among world exporters of fresh and dried tropical pineapples and fourth in South America, behind Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil.

Peruvian pineapple still has great potential to increase its exports PDF