At the International fruit and vegetable exhibition in Berlin in February, Peru officially announced its plan to expand its cherry business, with commercial production testing expected to begin in 2024.

As early as 2018, the Peruvian branch of the Chilean company Viveros El Tambo began to analyze the feasibility of planting Peruvian cherries. In 2022, the Peruvian National Agricultural Security Agency (SENASA) issued 11 phytosanitary permits for the import of cherry propagation material. The propagating material is mainly leafless cherry trees, branches and buds from Chile, with a small amount of cherry trees from the United States and cherry seeds from France. SENASA also stated that it plans to import hybrid cherry trees from the United States and that negotiations are currently underway in this regard.

Francisco Moraga, general manager of Viveros El Tambo Peru, said that the company has conducted feasibility studies on five patented cherry varieties in recent years, and plans to distribute the first batch of saplings to cooperative producers across the country in November this year to observe the growth of different cherry varieties. Adaptation in different regions. In order to speed up the progress of the experiment, the company hopes that SENASA will approve the import of rootstocks. Typically, cherry trees take at least 3 years to produce fruit.

Moraga said the project is still in the experimental phase, with commercial testing planned to begin in 2024. Peruvian cherry production faces two main challenges, one is the adaptability of the cherry plants, and the other is how to harvest ahead of the Chilean season to avoid overlapping export seasons. Peru will mainly benefit from early cherries in early October and late cherries in late January to avoid competition with neighboring Chile.

In recent years, as a new export project, Peruvian cherries are trying to open up the international market. In the spring of 2021, the Peruvian company Complejo Agroindustrial Beta said it would try to ship the first batch of Peruvian cherries to China in October of that year, but no follow-up progress has been made.

In addition to promoting cherry planting, the Peruvian fruit industry also plans to reduce some fruits that are not favored by consumers. Oranges and mangoes, for example, are expected to be less consumed compared to ready-to-eat blueberries and cherries due to the need to peel them. The Peruvian Mango Producers and Exporters Association recently announced that mango cultivation will no longer need to continue to expand.

At present, Peru's main agricultural products exported to China are blueberries, avocados and table grapes, and it is China's largest supplier of imported blueberries and avocados. At the same time, Peru is also the world's largest supplier of blueberries, supplying 23% of the world's blueberries.