The market continues to offer business opportunities for Peruvian products. In some cases, the products only have to follow the path that others have opened, as in the case of Chilean cherries, a large export line that allowed them to export more than 94,000 tons of this product last season, and with a view to increase their shipments to 120,000 tons.
In Peru, specialist Marco Vinelli, an MBA from the Centrum Business School and former CEO of Agrorural and Agroideas, advocates for developing this industry as the current situation is very favorable. "World production of cherries increases every year. In 1961, it amounted to 1.3 million tons, while in the 2014-2015 season it totaled 2.4 million tons," he said.
Turkey is the largest producer with 490,000 tons (20.7% of the world total), followed by the US with 395,000 tons (16.4%), China with 210,000 tons (9.1%), Ukraine with 205.000 tons (9%), Poland with 200,000 tons (8.3%), and Chile with 103,000 tons (4.6%).
The main consumers are, Turkey (with more than 450,000 tons per year), followed by the United States and China, which consume more than 300,000 tons per year each. "420,000 tons of cherry were imported in 2014 and China was the main importer with a demand of 28%, followed by Russia with 13%, Germany with 8%, and Canada with 7% of the total," he said.
Global exports
Speaking exclusively about the export business, Marco Vinelli said that Chile and the United States were the main players in the market, as each of them accounts for 20% of total deliveries. They are followed by Turkey with 12%. It should be noted that exports account for 28% of world production.
The former board member of Agrobanco said that Chile was the world's leading exporter of cherry as in 2016 its exports exceeded US $ 540 million in sales. Its main buyers were China, including Hong Kong, with 82% of the total placed, followed by the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, among others.
"According to the census of 2012, Chile has about 20,000 hectares devoted to this crop and produces more than 100,000 tons of cherries. In the southern hemisphere, Australia and Argentina also produce and export cherries. In 2016 Australia exported around US $ 42 million, mainly to Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Argentina exported about US $ 10 million to the UK, Hong Kong, and the United States," he said.
In this scenario, the northern hemisphere accounts for nearly 95% of the world's cherry production, and its harvest times go from May to August, approximately. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere is responsible for 5% of the world's cherry production. Chile is the main producer in this hemisphere, as it accounts for more than 85% of its total production, thus dominating the counter-season market because its harvest takes place between November and February.
A window of opportunity for Peru
According to Vinelli, in this context, Peru has the opportunity to provide fresh cherries to the world from September to November, as it currently does with blueberries. "The country could produce cherries in Cajamarca, Huaraz, Sierra de Lima, Junin, Cusco and Arequipa, as they have favorable weather conditions to plant this fruit," he stated.
In that regard, he noted that the State should play a leading role in the development of this crop by investing in airport infrastructure, roads, opening markets, and promoting the creation of climatological insurance so that producers can protect their investments against these risks.
"In addition, there must be a competitive funding from the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA) and the National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (Concytec), to fund research into adaptation and creation of technology packages for the development of cherry crops in Peru," he stated.
Source: esan.edu.pe / agraria.pe