More than 50 agribusinesses, trade organizations, and USDA representatives will travel to Peru to boost agricultural exports and narrow the country's $3.6 billion trade deficit.

The team includes representatives from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, the Western United States Agriculture Trade Association, the Pear Bureau Northwest, and the Kane County Agriculture Economic Development Corporation.

Peru is a key global supplier of agricultural products, especially fruits and vegetables. Peru's Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation Midagri reported that, in 2024, the country's ag exports, including fruits and vegetables, reached a total value of over $12.7 billion, with fruit exports accounting for 53.8% of the total. 

The trade relationship between the U.S. and Peru is just as valuable as the country's global role. Peru is the United States' fourth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports in South America, and the U.S. is Peru’s second-largest agricultural supplier. 

However, the USDA reports that despite bilateral trade growing 263% to $5.3 billion since 2009, the $3.66 billion agricultural trade deficit persists. The mission's goal is to address that bridge.

Trade mission participants will engage in business-to-business meetings with buyers from Peru and Ecuador to gain market insights and foster new business partnerships, the USDA states. This is in addition to Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff and regional experts market briefings, site visits and networking events.

Administrator Whitley will be joined by Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks, Montana Director of Agriculture Jillien Streit, and representatives from Indiana, Georgia, and Wisconsin, alongside a delegation of agribusiness leaders.

Photo: USDA Flickr