The Peruvian economy was very well aspected before facing the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus. The country was projected as one of the countries that could achieve greater economic growth in the region in the moments before the global crisis caused by COVID 19.

"COVID19 impacts the Peruvian economy in the same way as it affects the entire world," reflects Alfonso Velásquez, commenting that the provisions of the Peruvian government allow the mobilization of personnel dedicated to health, security, basic services and productive activities related to food. , both in production and distribution, "in such a way the logistics chain of supplying points of sale at a national level is not cut."

In a first analysis, trying to glimpse the scope of the impact on Peruvian agriculture that COVID 19 will cause, the former helmsman of Sierra y Selva Exportadora declares that “the impact on GDP will undoubtedly be decisive, considering that the agrarian sector represents only 5.5 of the national GDP and agro-exports account for less than 13% of Peruvian exports of goods and services ”.

An optimistic view

However, Alfonso Velásquez's opinion is that the agro-export of Peruvian products continues. “At the beginning of the quarantine, the grape campaign was ending and the avocado campaign began practically in late April. Fresh mangoes have also had significant shipments, coinciding this year with a 'long' campaign that until today allows industrial processing of the same, shipping to the domestic and foreign markets in the normal way, ”he affirms.

The blueberry industry

Regarding blueberry exports, he maintains that the Peruvian industry achieved shipments that meant a volume of around USD 820 million during 2019, and that it will have "to follow demand at its normal rate, an estimated growth of 20%, with which Peru will approach USD1000 million in blueberry exports, as the undisputed world leader in the fruit, ”he predicts.

And he explains in his analysis that due to "President Trump's decision to inject resources directly into American consumers, it motivates us to think that we will not have a negative year" and optimistically adds that "Peru's great advantage is that the window of late September and early October coincides with the Peruvian harvest and it achieves the best prices of the season ”.

The executive of the Peruvian agricultural industry explains in his analysis that "until now the interest in large buyers remains in the US, the main market for Peruvian agricultural exports."

Alfonso Velásquez assures that the Peruvian agro-fruit export industry should be the locomotive of productive activity in 2020 and states that "the presence of the resources of the Peruvian State should strengthen the potential of medium and small companies in the sector, which could successfully participate of the opportunity that our country has, by location and opportunity, to become the great food supplier in the new times, after the Coronavirus ”, he concludes.