The Peruvian citrus sector can expect further sustained growth this year, as exports are forecast to rise by 10-15 per cent, according to estimates from the country’s citrus producers’ association (ProCitrus) and reported by Agraria.pe.
Already this year, sendings of Peruvian tangerines, mandarins, lemons and oranges have risen by 20.6 per cent in value between January and August, figures from Peruvian market consultant Agrodata have revealed.
Mandarins continued to rank as Peru’s leading citrus export variety, with sales up by 19 per cent to US$37m across the eight months on the back of a 13 per cent hike in prices to US$1.06/kg.
During the same period, Agrodata said the biggest increase in sales was recorded by the lemon category, with shipments rising 54 per cent to US$994,000, with the majority headed for to Chile (79 per cent), followed by Panama (8 per cent) and the US (5 per cent).
Oranges represented the second-largest citrus export item during the eight months, although sales fell by 6 per cent year-on-year to US$2.8m.
Tangerine exports (also known as Honeybells) also rose by 27 per cent to US$2.8m thanks to a 10 per cent increase in price to US$0.80/kg, according to the data.
The UK was the largest receiver of Peruvian mandarins; absorbing 34 per cent of the total, followed by Canada (21 per cent) and the Netherlands (18 per cent).
In the orange category, Agrodata claims the UK also imported the biggest share (24 per cent), followed closely by the Netherlands (20 per cent) and the US (12 per cent).
ProCitrus, meanwhile, sees potential to open new markets for Peruvian citrus in the years to come, including Korea and Brazil.
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