Agricultural workers strike and its effect in Peruvian exports

The agricultural workers strike in Peru is taking place at a key moment for exports of one of the most important products of the Peruvian basket; grapes. This product represent over 15% of total exports and is mainly produced in Ica. The strike is taking place during the peak of the season 2020/21.

Until the strike, more than 3,000 mt of grapes were being shipped daily (average) which represent about 120 40" containers. During the first days of the blockade, shipments barely reach 1,100 mt per day (mainly from the north of the country from the Piura region).

A 1% drop compared to December of 2019 is expected, a result that is far from that projected before the strike. In addition, this could prevent the grape from exceeding the US $ 1 billion exported in 2020.

Among other products affected by the strike are onions, produced mainly in Arequipa, a region that is hit by the roadblock. Likewise, the onion is at the peak of the season, during this time a 61% decrease in shipments has been observed.

Asparagus is also affected, Ica has around 60% of the national production but during the first days of the blockade, the shipments had a 58% drop.