Peru News: Agriculture Developments

Article by Elise Bhoja

A major part of Peru’s economy revolves around agriculture. Peru is primarily famous for the potato. Peru is the center of origin for the potato, which means that agricultural experts believe potatoes were first grown and cultivated in Peru. As such, the country has more types of potato than anywhere else. However, Peru has a lively agricultural area outside of potatoes as well. This article is a summary of recent agriculture news from Peru.

Peru has seen a dramatic growth in the export and value of the piquillo pepper. A piquillo pepper is a type of chili which is small in size and has a sweet and spicy flavor. In Spanish, the name means “little beak.” Between January and April 2011, the value of pequillo pepper exports was nearly 110 percent higher than the same period in 2010. It grew from 8.5 million dollars to 17.9 million dollars, according to the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture. The increase in the actual volume of exported pepper was 106 percent, from 4,200 tons during the 2010 period to 8,700 during the 2011 period. The main receivers of these exports are Spain with 76 percent, the United States, with 11 percent, Germany with 6 percent, and France with 2 percent.

Other agriculture news in Peru relates to the use of transgenic food, specifically genetically modified products (or GMOs). Many people in Peru are opposed to GMO food products, primarily because they want to keep Peru as a GMO-free zone in order to be able to sell products labeled that way, or labeled as organic. However, the president of the National Association of Corn and Sorghum Producers had some heavy hitting facts for the anti-GMOers: it is estimated that on averages every Peruvain eats about 63 kilograms of GMO products via corn, meat, and oils. This comes primarily from imports. Peru imports 60 percent of its corn, about 1.9 million tons, each year.

And finally, other food products making news in Peru is coffee. Peru is one of the most important coffee-producing countries; over 80 percent of global manufacturers use coffee beans from Peru. Coffee exports for 2011 brought in more 1 billion dollars. Although other South American countries are better known for their coffee, Peru is the sixth largest coffee-producing country, but demand for the product in-country is low, leaving more for export. More than 100 companies export coffee seed from Peru. So next time you take a trip to Peru, be sure to grab some coffee to bring back as a gift.

About the Author

This article about agriculture in Peru was written by a Peru travel expert at Peru For Less, specializing in customizable Peru tours.

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