Living in Peru : your everyday companion

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

After waiting for 23 years, finally Peru knows the name of the company which will complete the Tren Electrico (Electric Train) construction: Electric Train consortium, which comprises Graña & Montero and Odebrecht Peru.

These companies beat competitors such as Metropolitano (Constructora Andrade Gutierrez and GCA Ingenieros Civiles) and Trenlima (Astaldi, Cosapi and JJ Contratistas).

The consortium will be in charge of replacing the old electronic structures of the section already built between Villa El Salvador and Atocongo (San Juan de Miraflores).

The contractors will also implement all the necessary works from that point until the Dos de Mayo Hospital, on Grau Ave.

Electric Train will invest US $ 410 million, and the works are expected to be finished in 18 months.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian gastronomy will be included in Sodexo's menus in the next two years, which will allow its  dissemination to 50 million people in the countries where this company is operating, according to Sodexo Peru's General Manager, Alfredo Garcia.

The Institutional Cooperation Agreement between Sodexo and the Peruvian Society of Gastronomy (Apega) aims to promote Peruvian foods in a two-phases plan;  first, through regional gastronomic festivals, and then let Sodexo serve Peruvian dishes supported by Apega.

This agreement will also allow Peruvian chefs to travel and show their talent in countries inside Sodexo's ring, establishing the "Day of Peruvian Food," ie, among other marketing strategies.

"The dishes with more potential to be included are Causa Limeña, Ceviche, Anticuchos and Chupe de Camarones. Nevertheless, we are making a selection of the most important dishes," Garcia stressed.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Isabel Guerra
LivinginPeru.com

Feasibility studies will be done in 2010 to establish the convenience to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with India, Egypt and Morocco, informed the General Manager of Bilateral Matters with Asia-Oceania of MIncetur, Carlos Posada.

These studies will show if there are potential markets for Peruvian products, and they will take between three or four months to know the results, he said.

Posada stressed there is particular interest in giving priority to a negotiation with India due to the development it is achieving, compared to China.

According to the Embassy of India in Peru, exports from India to Peru during 2008 amounted to US$503.7 million, while imports were US $281.4 million (FOB). India exports to Peru products like medicine, meanwhile main exports from Peru to India are minerals, fishmeal, silver and others.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Summer is almost here and most of the beaches in Lima and Callao are ready to welcome visitors. According to the General Direction of Environmental Health (Digesa), a total of 68 beaches of the coast are suitable for visitors. “During the last check up that we did a while ago in 90 beaches in Lima and Callao, we found that 76% of them were suitable for bathers,” said Ivonne Loayza, responsible for the Health Quality Program of the Peruvian Coast.

According to the report of said institution, the beaches that are in good shape in Callao are: Cantolao 2, Cantolao 3, Chucuito, La Punta, Guilligan Mar Afuera, Guilligan Poza and Arenilla. In the “Costa Verde”, the suitable beaches are Agua Dulce, Miraflores, Redondo, Makaha, Waikiki, Sombrillas and Pavos, amongst others.

To the south of Lima, the beaches that are in optimum conditions are generally the ones found in Lurin, San Pedro and Punta Hermosa.

However, Loayza pointed out that despite the actual good condition of the beaches, the quality of these could vary in a week’s time due to different factors like the ocean currents that bring dumping from other beaches.

“The massive flow of people is also a factor that could alter the optimum conditions of the ocean because some uneducated individuals use it as a bathroom,” said the specialist.

Loayza reminded that bathers that if they go to a beach that is not in good conditions (contaminated), they could get from diarrheic diseases if they swallow water, to skin problems.

Also, she recommended that after a day at the Beach, people should take a shower. “Bathers should not forget to use antibacterial soap after they come back from the beach.”

She added that between November and April of every year, Digesa does weekly monitoring of the beaches throughout the country. “During the other months of the year, Digesa controls beach quality every fifteen days.”

According to Ivonne Loayza, Digesa has four criteria to establish beach quality. The first one is the presence of fecal coliforms which is determined with the help of a microbiological analysis. 

The second criterion is the cleaning of the beaches that the municipalities have to carry out, picking up solid residues that the ocean and visitors leave behind. Another aspect is the presence of trash cans and public restrooms in good shape.

Loayza also highlighted that visitors often contribute to the pollution of the beaches because they have the bad habit of burying food remains in the sand which encourages fungal growth in the area. “We have to take care of our coast for our own sake,” she added.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The General Manager of the Sociedad Nacional de Pesquería (National Fisheries Society -SNP), Richard Inurritegui, told the press that during the period 2004-2008 anchovy consumption increased 821%, encouraged by several promotional campaigns, which contributed to make more Peruvians take advantage of this resource and to incorporate it into their daily diet.

Another factor that has accelerated the consumption, according to him, is its bigger availability, since the amounts of fishing for direct human consumption have increased from 10,700 tonnes to 98,000 in the same period.

"We have are 10 different brands of canned anchovies competing in the market with about 50 preparations," he noted.

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Andina

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to grant six million dollars next year to boost competitiveness of Peruvian Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE), reported the agency's director, Paul Weinsenfeld.

In the last three years, USAID through Mype Competitiva project, granted 11 million dollars to strengthen micro-enterprise's competitiveness, meeting main goals under this process.

Weinsenfeld is working in the design of the next stage of the Mype Competitiva project, so that MSE can benefit from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.

The project could last between three and five years, but it all will depend on the budget that the US government approves.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Exactly 5,782 baby turtles of the species "taricaya" (Podocnemis unifilis) and 101 of type "charapa” variety (Podocnemis expanda) were released in the Purus National Park, in Ucayali, informed the Environment Ministry.

Park guards and the local indigenous population, joined efforts through the volunteer ranger program, and worked very hard during the months of July and August to collect eggs from 385 taricaya nests, as well as from 1 nest of “charapas.”

Thirteen indigenous communities participated in this project, along the Alto Purus and Curanja river basins. Sandbanks of incubation were reproduced in the primary and secondary educational institutions in Puerto Esperanza.

According to the technical staff and local indigenous communities, the natural population of turtles has been increasing due to these efforts, which began in 2000.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Fiorentina made three goals in only nine minutes and won 5-2 to Debrecen at day 4 of group E of UEFA Champions League.

Romanian Adrian Mutu scored the first goal for the Italian team at 14th, and then Dario Dainelli (52nd), Ricardo Montolivo (59th), Marco Marchionni (61st) from a Vargas assistance, and Alberto Gilardino (74th).

Gergely Rudolf at 39th made the transitory 1-1 for the Hungarian team. And when Fiorentina was delighted with the triumph, French player  Adamo Coulibaly at 70th scored the second one for his team.

Vargas was substituted at the 77th minute by Santana. Fiorentina overplayed today's rival, controlling the whole game. Vargas' team is second at Lyon with 9 points. The French team leads the group with 10 points.

Liverpool after tying 2-2 with Lyon is third with 4 points, and Debrecen is last with no points.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peruvian Brenda Mau sang at the "21st Nougat and Hot Chocolate Fair" and shared with 700 children a breakfast of typical Peruvian products at the Children's Space of the Fair last Monday 12th October.

Mau was the benefactress of the space and the main protagonist of the event.

The Peruvian singer captivated the attending people not only with her voice but with her charisma and simplicity.

Brenda shared space with Catalan children inviting them to have a Peruvian chocolatada organized by Consul Iván Rodríguez. The kids also had papaya juice, tamal, avocado and choclo (tender corn) pie.

The Children's Space was inaugurated by Consul Ricardo Silva Santisteban, with the reading of the message from General Consul from Perú in Barcelona, Ambassador Miguel Palomino de la Gala, to the children, inviting them to "go through an imaginary bridge made by chocolate, friendship and affection existing between Perú and Catalunya."

"Tunqui," a mascot created for this event was introduced by Teresita Daroca, the nutricionist responsible for the Children's Space.

Tunqui is a stylized version of Peruvian "Gallito de las Rocas" and maybe could be heading to Perú in the following weeks along with Brenda Mau to meet Peruvian children.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

Andina

Peru will register the highest growth in South America in the 2010-2014 period, maintaining its place as the macroeconomic star among its peer countries, according to a Latin Business Chronicle's analysis, based on new forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Latin Business Chronicle chief director, Joachin Bamrud, said this is an analysis based on an IMF's recent forecast for 186 countries.

“Between 2010 and 2014, in average, Peru's GDP will register a 5.6 percent rise and only Panama, smaller than Peru, will register a 6.1 percent jump”, he told Andina.

Next year, Peru's GDP will increase 5.8 percent, being the highest growth in Latin America, while Chile will register the second highest with four percent.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.