Peru’s exports of grapes and mangoes to China have doubled since a free-trade agreement took effect March 1, said a Peruvian government official, according to Andina, Peru’s news agency.

Chinese consumers eat a lot of Peruvian grapes and the agreement has favored Peruvian grape companies, said Carlos Posada, vice minister of foreign trade, according to Andina. Chinese businesses are buying the grapes to use in production chains for other products and sending them to other markets in Asia.

He added that there is a lot of potential for agribusiness to develop in the biggest market in Asia, which has 1.3 billion people. There are opportunities in other countries in the region as well, he said, according to the website.

In other export news, agriculture exports for Peru were valued at nearly US $1.9 billion from January to August, an increase of 26.8% compared with the same period in 2009. Fruit was 26% of the country’s agriculture exports. The principal markets were the Netherlands, the United States and Spain.

Among the exports with the biggest volumes were coffee, fresh asparagus, fresh grapes and whole paprika, Andina reported.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com