Gestion reports that Peruvian exports of peppers, ajies, and jalapeños have been in a slump over the last year. However, producers are predicting a recovery for 2014. In fact, insiders are predicting sales of US$239 for peppers in 2014.Industry head Remzo Gomez told Gestion that “We think this is the year we’re going to recover. But we have to do it in an orderly fashion, so that producers understand the issue of food safety. It’s good that the growth not be too big, because if it is, we’re going to see the same problems that we’ve seen in past years.”
According to Gestion, one of the problems faced by pepper, aji, and jajapeño producers is that of food safety and cleanliness. Gestion reports that producers sometimes send products abroad that do not meet the food safety requirements of importing countries, and therefore are rejected.
Peruvian pepper producers sell their goods in a number of different formats. Peppers destined for drying take up more than 6,000 hectares in Peru, whereas 4,000 hectares are occupied by spicy treats that will end up in preserves. Another 2,000 hectares are used for growing produce that will be sold fresh.
