AgroPages-Peru agrochemical market amounts to $200 million-Agricultural news

The executive director of CultiVida, engineer Manuel Cueva, said this year the Peruvian market of agrochemicals had amounted to $200 million dollars, i.e. a 10% recovery.

He indicated that this recovery was related to the expansion of cultivated areas, especially in grapes, avocado, tangerine, blueberries, potatoes, sugar cane and quinoa.

He said that, based on the increase in the area of crops, such as the Olmos Project, the market was expected to grow between 6% and 8% in 2015.

Cueva stated that 45% of the consumption was destined for export crops and 55% for domestic crops. He also noted that 40% of sales were for insecticides, 35% for fungicides, and 25% for herbicides.

He stressed that the members of CultiVida continued to bring innovation to Peruvian agriculture through modern pesticides and efficient services that increased the sustainability and productivity of Peru's agriculture.

"We launched twelve new products in the last three years that are very specific to the pest. They don't affect biological control, human health, or the environment. A very important aspect is that you had to apply two kilos per hectare of the older products and now it's only six to ten grams per hectare," he said.

He also mentioned that the new agrochemicals that were applied rationally in integrated pest management programs so that there were no toxic residues in the foods people consume.

In this regard, he said, they would be launching three new products in 2015 that would help increase productivity, the welfare of small and medium farmers and, therefore, help combat poverty.

Finally, he demanded the National Program for Integrated Pest Management be created so that there was an efficient control of pests on crops for domestic consumption and of the basic food basket.