Avocados, blueberries, asparagus, among others, changed the landscape of Peruvian exports to Europe with the FTA

14/03/2017

Four years after the entry into force of the trade agreement with the Old Continent, non-traditional Peruvian exports take center stage and already represent half of all shipments.

The history of Peruvian exports to the countries of the European Union is divided into a before and after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between our country and the block of the Old Continent. The agreement, which came into effect in March of the 2013, changed the commercial landscape and achieved that in four years, Peruvian exports would cease to be in a 80% metals and non-traditional products would take center stage.

"At the beginning of 2013 almost 80% of Peruvian exports were metals, especially copper and this was affected by the fall in its price, which impacted the trade. But in these four years the composition of Peruvian exports has changed a lot. Non-traditional products such as avocados, organic cocoa, blueberries, have increased a lot, different products that thanks to the efforts of entities such as Promperú and exporters have changed the pattern. Today half of Peruvian exports correspond to non-traditional products ", explained Irene Horejs, ambassador of the European Union in Peru.

In value

In fact, in the 2016 trade Peru-European Union recorded an increase of 5.2% and reached US $ 10.254 million, which left as balance a balance of US $ 732 million in favor of Peru. In total, Peruvian exports to the European bloc reached US $ 5.493 million, of which US $ 2.538 corresponded to non-traditional products (46% share) that showed a positive behavior of 8%. In this sector, the main products sent are avocados, cocoa, asparagus, mangoes, grapes, frozen squid and squid, zinc without alloy and blueberries.

"I think this is an achievement. The agreement we have today allows the 100% of Peruvian non-agricultural products to enter duty-free, and that more than 80% of agricultural products also do so in that condition. In a few years it will be more than 90% of agricultural products because liberalization is taking place gradually ", added the European official.

Finally, Horejs recalled that the trade agreement between Peru and the European Union is a very modern instrument because it frees not only goods but services, which puts it ahead of other similar documents. "It includes services, issues such as intellectual property, phytosanitary, public procurement, so mutually have opened markets for the participation of companies, which is important for investments", He said.

Source: Agraria.pe