Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Info provided and translated by the
American Chamber of Commerce of Peru (AmCham Peru)

Organic certification is an accreditation which guarantees that a product has been cultivated and processed in a way that preserves the natural and original characteristics of the product. That is, the certification guarantees that the transformation process –from seeding till sale- has been made without the intervention of pesticides, GMOs, additives or any other substance that may affect the natural maturation process of a fresh product.

Despite their short period of fame, organic products already face advanced norms in more developed markets such as the United States, Japan and the European Union.

Today countries are now managing their own legislation in order to regulate the commercialization of these products, thereby avoiding the prevailing debate regarding what the global organic minimum standards should be.

Thus, exporters should be aware of the particularities of each market in this realm to help them take advantage of opportunities in this ever growing market niche.

Precisely, what is most attractive about this market niche is the high level of return that is immersed in the price of these products. Due to its particular differentiation, it is obvious that the price charged is higher than that of regular, natural, or fresh products.

This is why Peruvian coffee producers have opted for organic certification, which, up to now, has allowed them to receive more income than before.

However, to make organic certification implementation processes a profitable investment, producers need to associate in order to reduce costs related to the process. It is also possible to establish a partnership with importers of organic products in order to solidify efforts.

Hence, once the global trend and the opportunities for Peru are identified, it is necessary to coordinate efforts in order to increase the number of certified organic products.

This will not only foster sustainability in agriculture, but also the efficient use of natural resources, thus allowing a competitive differentiation that could be used as a strategy for the development of Peruvian agro exports in the medium term.