Peru’s agro-export sector continues to expand, with key products such as blueberries, grapes, mangoes, asparagus, cocoa, and coffee driving growth.

In 2024, the country’s agricultural exports surpassed $12 billion, marking a 22% increase from 2023. This growth was fueled by rising international prices for certain products and lower production in some regions of Asia, Europe, and Africa, allowing Peru to capitalize on global demand.

In the framework of the webinar “Peruvian Agroexports 2024,” David Sandoval, CEO of Fluctuante, said that a few decades ago, Peru had a significant challenge: " We exported to few markets, we had an infrastructure that was not as efficient as the one we have today, and also producers did not have easy access to financing.”

“Peru was not such an important player in the agro-export sector at the international level,” he said, ”but after 24 years, from having a reduced agro-export basket, we went on to export more than 600 products in this sector, and we have been able to conquer markets in different continents.

During this time, in addition to the traditional shipment of products such as coffee and asparagus, Peru has been gaining ground in blueberries, grapes, avocados, mangoes, cocoa, and coffee exports.

Due to the sector's development, Fluctuante's CEO stated, “We are pleased that in 2024 we will have surpassed US$12 billion in exports and that this transcends”.

In his opinion, the progress of Peruvian agro-exports does not stop. “For 2025, 202,6, and the following years, I am sure that the sector will continue to grow, but what is fundamental is to sit down and see what these figures are to take measures.”

The present and future look prosperous, but Sandoval said that the sector should not depend on prices. " We must act strategically on our production and care for our crops and water resources and take care of all other resources such as freight, boxes, and all those that accompany the agro-export sector as a whole.

Consumption

The sector's development must go hand in hand with increased consumption. In that sense, Sandoval exposed that in 2050, the planet will have about 9.7 billion inhabitants. “We are currently 8 billion people worldwide, and in 25 years, we will have 1.7 billion more people to feed.”

The agro-export industry sees this figure as auspicious—considering that it will go hand in hand with food production—but Sandoval pointed out that the birth rate has begun to fall since 2015, “but we should be aiming to feed the 9.7 billion people we are going to have by 2050.”

But he asked a question: Are we prepared to produce more and save resources or be more efficient in using these resources?

In this regard, he commented that agro exports should focus on three areas: population growth, especially in Asia; the development of the middle class; and data processing.

He indicated that the population would continue to grow, for example, in Asia and countries such as China, India, and Indonesia.

He explained that there is an interesting phenomenon related to the fact that the population that used to be poor is now becoming part of the middle class “and, therefore, has more resources to buy mainly food. That is why they are willing to pay higher prices per kilogram of the products we export.”

Secondly, he pointed out that consumer habits are changing. People increasingly demand fresher, healthy, and environmentally sound products.

The third point concerns the industry's need for extensive data processing, “and we need to be productive and produce with long-term sustainability.”

Peruvian agro-export markets

The leading destination is the United States, with a 34% share and a 19% variation, with shipments of blueberries, grapes, coffee, and asparagus standing out.

In this sense, Sandoval stated, "We must diversify our markets because we cannot bet a little more than a third of our exports in this sector to only one. We should be betting on gourmet markets, niches, and Asia, which is growing in population.

The Netherlands has a 14% share and a 30% variation, mainly exporting blueberries, avocados and grapes. Then comes Spain, which ships avocado, asparagus, and cocoa. “If we add all of Europe as a whole, we practically also have 30% of our exports to the whole of Europe,” he said.

Asia, which includes China and Hong Kong in the global market, is in fourth position with a 4% share.

Sandoval also highlighted the relevance of markets such as Chile and Mexico. The latter is especially important for Peruvian table grapes.

Regarding Canada, he specified that in 2024, they exported mainly coffee, grapes, and also cocoa.