Peru's non-traditional agro exports rise 8.1% in 2013

Exports of non-traditional agricultural products from Peru totalled US$ 2.9 billion between January…

Exports of non-traditional agricultural products from Peru totalled US$ 2.9 billion between January and November 2013, an increase of 8.1 percent over the same period a year ago.

According to the Peruvian Exporters' Association (Adex), the star product in this period was asparagus with US$ 532.7 million in sales, which represents 18.2 percent of the total value of exports.

It was followed by fresh grapes with US$ 281.4 million worth of sales (9.6% of the total), avocados with US$ 183 million (6.2%) and mangoes (5.1%).

Meanwhile, the value of traditional agricultural exports reached US$ 713 million in the first eleven months of last year, dropping 29.6 percent year-on-year.

As a result, total agricultural exports amounted to US$ 3.64 billion between January and November 2013, a decline of 2.2 percent due to lower prices and volume of coffee.

The largest export market for Peruvian agricultural products was the United States with US$ 1.02 billion worth of shipments, a 27.9% share of total exports. It was followed by the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, and Ecuador, among other countries.