Heavy rain and flooding causes some delays in Peru’s fruit exports

Extensive flooding across many parts of the north of Peru caused damage to key bridges and roads that caused delays of getting export crops such as table grapes, mangoes, avocados and asparagus to ports. Following heavy rains and flooding, caused by cyclone “Yaku” that formed off the coast of the country, eight people have died and one person was reported missing since early last week.

According to producers a bridge in Casma collapsed last week, with repairs causing a five day delay to get shipments to the port of Callao near the capital of Lima. Enrique Harten, Commercial manager at Agualima, who are blueberry and asparagus producers in the Viru, La Libertad region of Peru, they have fortunately just finished the blueberry harvest in week 9 before the heavy rains started.

“Following problems on us in our area and farm, the irrigation channel was contaminated by flooding waters with a lot of external materials like logs and mud which made the water to be restricted to irrigate our farm and have less water available on daily basis and expect this to be solved soon. Also other problems is that a bridge collapse in Casma and made a 5 days delay to be repaired and highway is now again open to transport our cargo to the airport and port of Callao. Water and rains luckily did not have any damage in our farm but indirectly we have been affected by the irrigation channel and disruption of the transport to port,” states Harten.

A table grape producer in Piura, Felipe Arriagade, says they are saved by their proactive measures of plastic covers on the vineyards. They are a few weeks away from harvesting. “We are fine. There has been a lot of heavy rain. Bridges almost collapsed in some parts of Piura. There were some floods in Piura, Tambo Grande, etc. For the moment, nothing terrible, but we are with the Orange flag, we wish it won’t be worse. There has been more than 40 mm of rain in one night, when usually there are 50mm in the whole year,” explains Arriagade.