Peru exported 311,390 tons of fruit from January to August, 38 percent more than in the same period last year, the Ministry of Agriculture said, according to LaRepublica.pe.

According to the Bureau of Economic Research and Statistics of the ministry, the exports are valued at US $341 million, a 34% increase over the same period in 2009, when they brought in US $254 million.

The fruit category in 2010 has accounted for 26% of total agricultural exports, compared with 21% of the total in 2009, the website reported.

Among the major fruits exported, fresh mango ranks first, followed by avocados, bananas, tangerines, grapes, tangelos, frozen mangoes and oranges.

Santos Maza, director of the bureau, said that Netherlands is the main destination for the fruit, followed by Spain and the United States, the website said.

Maza also said that Peru is the largest producer of organic bananas in the world, according to the website. He added that the export boom began in 2000 as Peru signed more free-trade agreements, which allowed the export of fruits such as grapes and avocados, the website said.

Photo: www.inta.gov.ar

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com