The Peruvian Association of Exporters (ADEX) expects the country's first bell pepper and chile pepper shipments to the U.S. to take place this year.

In a release, the association said the industry had been working hard to secure the first shipment since access was granted in September, 2015.

"The export basket for fresh Peruvian peppers is still minimal, however with the gaining of phytosanitary access for the United States market last September a very significant commercial window was opened for exports of this category of products," said ADEX president Juan Varilias.

ADEX Capsicum Committee president Renzo Gómez said access was approved towards the end of the campaign last year and so the sector wasn't able to capitalize on the deal in 2015.

However, he said this year two exporters - Gandules and Ecosac - had received approval from the relevant authorities and would likely be ready to export to the U.S. market in August or September.

Varilas highlighted exports of fresh bell peppers and chile peppers to the United States were expected to generate US$27 million in revenue within three years, and rise to US$150 million by the fifth year of shipping.

The country exported US$271 million worth of peppers in 2015, representing year-on-year growth of 19%. ADEX expects this figure will rise to US$286 million in 2016.

However, these figures are mostly made up of preserved and processed peppers.

Gómez told www.freshfruitportal.com only a very small percentage shipments to date had been fresh due to matters of distance and protocols, but he expected this could change and the uptake could potentially be very quick.

He said there had been US$72 million in exports of both kind of pepper in the first four months of 2016, with 48% preserved and 47% dried.

He mentioned specialty Peruvian chile peppers like fresh Rocoto and Aji Amarillo had been in demand with airfreight shipments sent to markets like Canada and Italy.

There are still challenges for the Peruvian industry though, with the majority of growers producing the vegetable on farms of less than five hectares, but there was an interest in adopting production under anti-aphid nets that met the standards of the U.S. protocol.

According to statistics from Promperu, Peru's exports of fresh and refrigerated peppers and chiles reached 391 metric tons (MT) last year with Italy as the leading destination by country, followed by the Netherlands, Canada, the U.S. and Spain.

Red bell peppers and chiles accounted for about a third each, with the remainder made up of Piquillo and Rocoto peppers.

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