Despite the recent challenges encountered by Chile, the Peruvian Table Grape Producers Association (Provid) is reportedly working together with the country’s food safety and phytosanitary agency (Senasa) in an effort to open up the Australian market.
According to Senasa president Alejandro Fuente, the bid for access is currently at the stage of of exchanging information between the phytosanitary authorities of both countries, Agraria.pe reported.
“These are processes which last between three to four years,” Mr Fuente was quoted as saying. “We have to be patient.”
The process will involve verifying the quality of Peru’s table grapes during visits by officials to planted areas before finally entering the negotiation stage between the governments of the two nations, the report explained.
“Much will depend on who will be our next President and the importance that he/she places on Free Trade Agreements and the opening of markets,” Mr Fuente pointed out.
Peruvian grapes would enter the Australia market from November to January and therefore not compete against local production.
Provid has also reportedly indicated that it hopes to access the table grape markets in New Zealand and India, according to Agraria.pe.
The organisation has also suggested that within five years’ time Peru could export grapes tariff-free to South Korea and Mexico.
Peru currently exports the bulk of its table grapes to the US (which absorbed 25.2 per cent of the total in 2010), followed by the Netherlands (14.1 per cent), Hong Kong (13.3 per cent) and Russia (9.9 per cent).
During the first three months of 2011, Peruvian table grapes have reached US$81.4m, up 36 per cent in value terms against the year-earlier period, the report said.
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