The Peru Trade and Investment Office in the U.K. is set to represent a range of Peruvian groups at the London Produce Show on June 4-6, including two new industry bodies dedicated to blueberries and pomegranates.

Other Peruvian products to be in the limelight include asparagus, avocados, citrus fruits, mangoes and table grapes.

In a release, recently-appointed U.K. director Jaime Cardenas said there was great potential to increase exports of Peruvian produce to the U.K.

"This year we estimate that our exports to the UK will reach at least 82,500 tonnes, with higher supplies of avocados and blueberries in particular," Cardenas said.

"This is a growth of 15% compared with 2013 when 71,732 tonnes were exported."

The groups slated to attend include the Peruvian Agricultural Growers’ Unions Association (AGAP), the Peruvian Mango Exporters Association (APEM), the Peruvian Asparagus and Vegetable Institute (IPEH), ProCitrus, ProHass and ProVid, as well as the newly formed ProArándanos (blueberries) and ProGranadas (pomegranates) entities.

Cardenas added that large-scale irrigation projects would develop additional modern production areas over the next five years, in the coastal and low mountainous areas of Olmos, Chavimochic, Chinecas and Majes-Siguas.

"We hope that this additional production, with its higher efficiency and productivity levels and continued high quality and sanitary standards, will resonate with the UK market and its consumers," Cadenas said.

Peru has a longstanding export history with the U.K. since the 1990s when exports of fresh asparagus and table grapes began. Since then avocados, citrus, mangoes, snow peas, bananas, pomegranates and most recently blueberries have been added to the export portfolio.

"Europe is the largest market for Peru and within the region the UK is the second-biggest destination after the Netherlands. We are very keen to take care of this special relationship as we develop the market further," Cardenas said.

Over the last 13 years, AGAP estimates that Peruvian fresh fruit and vegetable exports to the U.K. have increased by 27% annually in both value and volume terms. Export value has risen from US$8 million in 2000 to US$151 million in 2013, while export volume has climbed from 3,946 tonnes to 71,732 tonnes during the same period.

"Peru exports more than 50 fresh fruits and vegetables to the world and some special fruits are yet to be fully developed on the UK market, such as passion fruit, granadilla, lucuma, cherimoya, prickly pear (cactus fig) and golden berries," Cardenas said.

"Blueberries also entered the UK market in 2012 with a trial of 15 tonnes. Last year exports reached 157 tonnes and we expect to at least triple that volume in 2014. Clementines also have the potential to continue growing."

This year Peru’s citrus industry plans to increase its exports to the U.K. by 20%. Investment is also being made in to new varieties as the sector seeks to maintain its position in the country.

Blueberries and asparagus, meanwhile, were the fastest-growing exports to the U.K. market last year, with rates of 890% and 74.8% respectively. It must be noted however that asparagus sales are around 50 times those of blueberries, which are a more incipient crop in Peru.

"Now that the associations for the blueberry and pomegranate industries have been established and incorporated into Agap during the last couple of months there will be further coordinated efforts to drive exports of these two rapidly expanding industries, for which we see much potential on the UK market in particular," Cardenas said.

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