Asparagus exports from Peru are expected to rise 9% in 2010, to 250,000 metric tons, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. Production is expected to jump 6% to 330,000 metric tons and could reach 350,000 metric tons in 2011, the report said.

In 2009, Peru exported nearly 230,000 metric tons of asparagus, valued at $389 million, according to the USDA’s yearly report on the industry.

About 28,000 hectares are used to grow asparagus in Peru, with an average yield of 11.5 tons per hectare. The Ica region in the south, which produces 44 percent of the asparagus, is suffering from a water shortage that may harm the agriculture sector.

Progressio, a British non-governmental organization, issued a report this month saying that asparagus production in Peru is depleting water sources and is not sustainable.

The United States is the biggest market for Peruvian asparagus, importing 71% of the nation’s fresh asparagus exports. Peru shipped 84,969 metric tons of fresh asparagus there in 2009. Europe is the biggest market for white asparagus, which is processed and shipped in cans or jars.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com