Import of processed potatoes: does it affect local producers?

Published 2020년 5월 13일

Tridge summary

During the pandemic, Peru has seen a rise in the importation of processed potatoes in April, according to data from Sunat, with the majority of these imports originating from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the United States, and Canada. This increase could potentially negatively impact local producers, as imported potatoes are industrially processed and ready-to-use, leading to a decrease in prices for Peruvian fries. The executive director of Cite Papa emphasized the need to promote the consumption of Peruvian potatoes and advocate for industrialization to compete with imports. From January to April 2019, around 8.89 million kilograms of frozen preferred potato were imported, which increased to over 10 million kilograms in the same period in 2020.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Despite the paralysis of business due to the coronavirus, the import of processed potatoes has increased in April, according to Eduardo Zegarra, principal investigator of GRADE and specialist in agricultural economics, based on information from Sunat. Likewise, the import of this product has been increasing in recent years, which could have an unfavorable impact on the local producer. Celfia Obregón, executive director of the Cite Papa, indicated that the price of Peruvian potatoes for frying decreases seasonally in the first months of the year, with imported processed potatoes being its competition. "National and local grilled chicken chains, which traditionally used 100% Peruvian potatoes, are now increasingly using pre-cooked potatoes imported from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the United States and Canada," he said. As they are industrially processed and ready-to-use products, Obregón said, the competition of imported potatoes affects the price of Peruvian fries ("Única" ...

Source: PEgestion