Raspberries could be the new fruit with the highest export potential among Peruvian products, according to the Peruvian Foreign Trade Society (ComexPeru)

The organization said that despite Peruvian raspberries having only been sent out in small samples to different countries, this situation could change if the product entered the U.S., Peru’s main partner in the agro-export sector. 

ComexPeru stated that Peruvian raspberries could follow the same route as blueberries, one of the country's flagship product.

“Also, the entry of the Peruvian raspberries into the U.S. would cause interest in investing in this crop to rise exponentially among the Peruvian agroindustry,” said Rafael Zacnich, manager of economic studies at ComexPeru.

In 2019, the U.S. imported raspberries for a total of $1.36 million, an almost 20 percent increase from the previous year. This evolution is constant from the year 2017 and is expected to continue, something that is very beneficial for Peruvian raspberries as well as all of the countries exported products.

To achieve entry into the said market, Peruvian exporters will have Mexico as a principal competitor which supplies the U.S. with 99 percent of its raspberry exports. In 2019, the Mexican agro-export sector sold $1.35 million worth of raspberries to the U.S.

The other products with good potential are passion fruit, golden berries, dragon fruit, and turmeric. There is another product, cherries, but its cultivation is still in the test phase.

Zacnich said that to convert this potential into a reality, it will depend on the U.S. issuing health authorizations for them to enter into the market.

He added that a factor that shows the opportunity that these fruits would have is the “since the pandemic began, major markets are looking for products that are healthy and have antioxidants”.

“For this reason, it is probable that the crops will consolidate in the next few years. We know the interest that they generate and the potential that they could have when they obtain health certificates, maybe not in 2021, but yes in the next few years,” Zacnich commented.

Currently, the mentioned products are only sent as samples to different markets. Only passionfruits are exported to countries such as Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, France, and Italy. In 2019, passionfruit shipments reached $345,000.