Francisca Chang: “Peru and Taiwan are complementary economies and we see the future of bilateral development in trade”

In two years, Taiwan has become the fourth major export market for Peruvian blueberries after the US, Europe and China. Shipments began in 2021, and in a short time, this fruit has gained a place in this Asian country, as highlighted by the representative Taipei Economic and Cultural Authority in Peru, Franziska Yu-Tsz Chang.

“Taiwan and Peru are very complementary economies, an example of blueberry and grape export, we are in the opening of the market, since 2021, Taiwan is the number 4 market in the world for Peruvian blueberries, through this evidence, we know that we have a lot of power and in many areas where we can strengthen bilateral exchanges on the trade side,” Chang said.

Like blueberries and grapes, Peru’s main exports to Taiwan are minerals such as copper and zinc; on hydrocarbons, liquefied natural gas. From the Asian country to Peru, deliveries are concentrated in machinery and spare parts, tires, fertilizers and auto parts.

Considering this scenario, a delegation of scholars and economic experts from Taiwan came to Lima to highlight issues and trade alliances between the two countries during the Taiwan and Peru: New Partners in a Changing World workshop.

Representative Francis Yu-Tsz Chang pointed out that Taiwan has the support of various business sectors in the country to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP).

“Thanks to Taiwan’s accession to CPTPP, all customs duties can be reduced to 0%, for now, when exporting Peruvian grapes to Taiwan, the Taiwanese government will levy an export tax of 20% once Taiwan becomes a member of CPTPP, like Peru, Peruvian producers in part of the grapes can have 20% more profit, which helps us increase the two-way flow and benefit Peruvian producers,” he said.

blueberry export

According to the Association of Producers and Exporters of Blueberries of Peru, there are more than 60 varieties of this fruit in the country, grown on 18,000 hectares located in the regions of La Libertad, Lambaeque, Lima, Ica, Ancash and Piura. In this sense, exports to various markets are forecast to reach 338,859 tons during the 2023-2024 campaign, which is an increase from 2015-2016 when shipments reached 12,951 tons.

A positive scenario for blueberries is the head of the economic research and commercial intelligence department of the Center for Economic Research and Global Business of the Association of Exporters (CIEN – ADEX) Gabriel Arrieta. “In terms of blueberry and grape exports, we expect a positive conjuncture this 2023, to comment on the CIEN Adex data, we have a forecast of 2.8% for total exports, which will be due to an increase in non-traditional exports, especially agricultural”, he said.

The seminar was attended by Ms. Patricia Lee Sotelo, President of the Somos Party of Peru; Kwo-Wei Kung, director of the Center for Latin American Studies, Tamkang University; Ming-Ming Yang, Research Fellow, Chung-Hua Economic Research Institute; Carlos Posada, Institutional Director of the Lima Chamber of Commerce; Miguel Vegas, CEO of the Association of Blueberry Producers and Exporters of Peru; and Gabriel Arrieta, Head of Economic Research and Business Intelligence, Center for Global Economic and Business Research of the Association of Exporters (CIEN-ADEX).

At the meeting, Kwo-Wei Kung, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Tamkang University, emphasized that Taiwan is going through a tense situation, and therefore an open culture of friendship is needed for business development. “The situation you are facing means you are making more friends and keeping an open mind,” he said.