Since the nineties, productivity of Peruvian agriculture has more than doubled compared with the average for Latin America, according to a study by Apoyo Consultoría for the Association of Agricultural Producer Organisations of Peru (AGAP).
This noticeable increase, a result of innovation at field level, is visible in the growth rate of modern agricultural products between 2000 and 2013.
"Such is the case of grapes, which have registered a growth rate of above 5 percent; of onions, with about 4 percent, and of mandarins, with nearly 3 percent. They are followed by asparagus, with nearly 3 percent and mangoes, with above 2 percent," revealed the study.
Furthermore, the income per hectare generated by modern agricultural products was much higher than that of traditional ones.
In this regard, the study says that the income generated by grapes reached more than 38,000 new soles per hectare; asparagus reached 32,000 soles and mandarins stood at over 23,000 soles.
Agroexports
Overseas sales have also grown significantly. Thus, fruit and vegetable exports in 2014 amounted to 2,000 million dollars; the most important products were grapes (641 million), asparagus (572 million), avocados (306 million) and mangoes (187 million).
Peru was at the top end of the world rankings in the export of asparagus (1st), avocados (2nd), grapes (4th), mangoes (5th), mandarins (7th), blueberries (9th), onions (10th) and pomegranates (12th).
Social impact
This economic growth generated by modern agriculture has had a major social impact, which is evidenced by the significant reduction in poverty in the coastal part of Peru.
"In ten years, 800,000 direct jobs and another 900,000 indirect jobs have been created in the coastal part of Peru," it stressed.
