As Peru has become one of the fastest growing table grape markets in the world, Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL) has sponsored the release of a brand new protocol that will allow the Spanish based breeding program to ship new varieties from Spain directly to Peru.
Peru is a country brimming with potential for growth with significant interest in new table grape varieties that has increased exponentially in the last few years. The first Peruvian table grapevines were first introduced by the Spanish between 1520 and 1540 during the discovery of America. Only in recent years, has the country experienced large land developments in the table grape Industry. In season 2016 – 2017, Peru exported 285,000 tons of table grapes. Following three years later, Peru is expected to export over 400,000 tons this current season, showcasing a 40% growth.
An increasing number of SNFL’s plantings varieties have been developed in Peru in recent years. However, until very recently, there was no protocol between Spain and Peru, therefore plant material from Spain had to be shipped to Chile and then after two years of quarantine in Chile, the plant materials could then be shipped to Peru.
In the last four years, SNFL has been working with the Peruvian National Agrarian Health Service (SENASA) and the Spanish authorities to open up Peru as a market for shipment of plant materials. SENASA works to evaluate and establish healthy measures to be considered in phytosanitary regulations.
As of this month, SNFL will now be able to ship plant materials directly from their breeding center in Spain to Peru.
This will help provide faster innovation to the Peruvian table grape industry and SNFL’s partners there. During this process, SNFL has been supported by licensed nursery in Peru, “Viveros Agronegocios Genesis” which helped to speed up much of the bureaucratic processes in SENASA.
Henri Huamán, General Manager of Viveros Génesis is very satisfied to have partnered with SNFL to introduce in vitro plants from Grape Genesis in Spain into Peru. “This chronicles an extraordinary milestone in the Peruvian viticulture industry,” said Huamán.
In the meantime, SNFL’s Head Lab Manager, Ivan Carreño and PBR Manager Sonia Soto have prepared and shipped the first new varieties from the Spanish based breeding programme this week. “We have been coordinating the whole process between SENASA and the Spanish Agricultural Ministery for the last three years to achieve this important agreement that will greatly speed up our new varieties program in Peru,” Soto said.
