onions

Despite a number of Peruvian agriculture exports declining during the economic crisis last year, the country’s onion exports bucked the trend, with sales up 38 per cent to US$31.3m in value, according to a news release from the Peruvian Exporters Association (Adex).

This year, however, the organisation predicts output will stabilise in line with production in order not to flood the international market and guarantee good prices.

“It’s not advisable for export volume to increase this year,” explained Miguel Ognio, chairman of Adex’s onion sub-committee.

“The US is our main market and although Americans are consuming more onions we should maintain the same output in 2010. To inundate any market with offer would be dangerous, so we must be very cautious.”

The increase in sendings last year was attributable to the opening up of new markets, particularly across Europe and Latin America, according to Mr Ognio, as well as closer cooperation among a group of growers.

The US absorbed some US$22.4m worth of Peruvian onion exports in 2009, according to Adex, an increase of 27 per cent in relation to 2008. Overall, the US received around 72 per cent of Peru’s total output.

In second place, Colombia increased its imports by 110 per cent in 2009, with arrivals worth some US$1.78m, representing 12 per cent of the export crop.

Japan currently ranks the third-largest market for Peruvian onions, Adex said, last year receiving some US$1.8m worth of exports, up 57 per cent on 2008.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, represented US$1.07m worth of sales in 2009, well above the US$229,000 recorded the year earlier.

Other markets include Chile, Spain, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Sweden, among others.