The head of a Peruvian state-backed agricultural promotion agency has highlighted great opportunities for crop conversion to Hass avocados, after the country reached US$305 million in exports of the fruit last year.

Sierra Exportadora president Alfonso Velásquez Tuesta said that of that amount around 6%, or US$17 million, came from Peru's Andean region.

"Growers in Áncash, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Arequipa, Puno and Cusco are turning to productive conversion, diversifying their crops to avocados which have great demand globally," Velásquez Tuesta said.

"With the entry of Peruvian Hass avocados into China and Japan, and eventually India, all of Asia will need more production of this fruit from our country."

He said he had just met with local politicians from the province of Chincheros, where two mayors from the districts of Huaccana and Ongoy had received recognition for promoting a cluster of Hass avocado plantations.

He said there are still areas that need to be gained for agricultural production in the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM) as well, which is home to Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path and some 60% of the country’s coca production.

While coca still has a strong presence in the area, the government has had an active program encouraging farmers to other crops, including pineapples.

Velásquez Tuesta said avocados could be considered in the VRAEM area as well.

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