The Thai and Peruvian governments are finalising protocols to allow entry of Peruvian citrus and pomegranates into Thailand.
Peru's food exports represent the nation's second biggest source of foreign currency, with its main destination markets North America and the EU. Growth in the fruit and vegetable trade with Asia has been significant the last few years.
Thailand is the destination for 2.5% of Peruvian exports to Asia.
In 2019, imports of fresh Peruvian produce reached US$14.7 billion.
With almost 70 million inhabitants, the per person consumption of fruit in Thailand is more than 150 kilogrammes per year. For this reason, the Peruvian administration and the Thai government are moving forward with the development of protocols and phytosanitary requirements that will give Peruvian citrus fruits and grenadines access to the market in the near future.
"Thai consumers appreciate the high quality of Peruvian products. For this reason, our efforts are geared towards making people more aware of our products so they can distinguish the attributes that set them apart from produce of other countries," said Trade Commissioner of Promperu for Southeast Asia, Erick Aponte.
"To this end, we have rolled out several 'Super Foods Peru' promotional campaigns in the Thai market, both at points of sale and online."
Fresh grapes top the ranking of Peruvian fruit and vegetable exports to Thailand. In 2019 they accounted for 5% of all imported grapes.
Other Peruvian products that reached the Thai market during the same period were cranberries, avocados, quinoa and cocoa.
"In supermarkets we are organising tasting sessions of cranberries in conjunction with the company Navatan World Fruits, notably in Foodland, Tops, Max Value and The Mall. Online, through the Fresh Living e-commerce platform, we are promoting avocados, chia seeds and quinoa, and later on cranberries and grapes," said Mr Aponte.
Asia accounts for 9% of all Peruvian food exports. China is the leading Asian market for Peruvian foods, accounting for 30% of all exports, followed by Hong Kong (20%), South Korea (14%), Japan (12%) and Indonesia (8%). Thailand is a strong growth market.