Avocado is one of the most important agricultural exports in Peru, as evidenced by recent figures that show the Andean country is 2nd only to Mexico in worldwide exports of everyone’s favorite green superfood.
According to a recent report from The Packer that quoted Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture (Minagri), avocado shipments from the country increased by 27 percent in 2017 as Peru exported 247,000 tons of the fruit worth some $580 million for the whole year.
The United States, Chile, Spain, the Netherlands, England and China were among the top importers of Peruvian avocados in 2017.
“The Peruvian coast offers superb climatic conditions to develop the fruit with excellent quality,” said Jose Antonio Gomez Bazan, vice chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Peruvian Avocado Commission. “Peru has been the main driver of market development in Europe, where the fruit is recognized as one of the best coming from overseas.”
It is currently the third most important agricultural export for the country behind just coffee and grapes.
The Packer report cited studies showing that Peruvian farmers are starting to ditch behind other produce like asparagus in favor of the increasingly profitable avocado.
According to the state news agency Andina, Peru’s entire agricultural production sector grew by 7.4 percent in the last year.
The head of Peru’s Avocado Commission said that the avocado industry will continue to rise in Peru by an average of 15 percent per year due to its perfect climate conditions that allow great quality and efficient productivity.
