February 19 2008, 09:28

Peru sees excellent prospects for seedless grapes

"Actually, we thought we'd reached the limit. But last year we were able to boost our asparagus exports by another 15% to EUR 222 million", says Eduardo Talavera from the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture. Peru is the largest asparagus exporter in the world. But the seven individual companies and six growers' associations exhibiting under the auspices of the Commission for the Promotion of Peru (Promperu) at FRUIT LOGISTICA have a whole lot more to offer: mangos and citrus fruit, avocados and bananas, strawberries, sweet potatoes, onions, sweet peas and grapes. Talavera sees excellent prospects for seedless grapes: "There's an enormous market potential here, especially in Western European countries like France, Holland and Germany. And we want to conquer the market, as long as no one else has occupied it". Nevertheless, a good deal of developmental work still needs to be done. Whereas the Red Globe variety, which is especially popular in Southern Europe, yields over 30 tonnes per hectare, seedless varieties such as Thompson and Flame barely produce half that amount. The main buyers for Peruvian fresh products are Europe and the USA. Talavera is primarily interested in winning over new customers from the Middle East at FRUIT LOGISTICA. "We anticipate making deals worth over $50 million at the trade show", says the ministerial representative.