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Essay on Asparagus: Peru's Success Story

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Growing up in my country, Peru, was a formative and great learning experience because as I grew into an adult and participated in the economy, I learned how Peru’s financial system worked as a nation exporting agricultural goods. Peru’s history as a great, fertile farmland country made it a huge partner for potential buyers all around the world; these countries could take advantage of the exotic and plentiful fruit and vegetable products. During the government of Peru’s ex-president Alberto Fujimori, Peru signed the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, in 2006 and became a big exporter of goods. 3 years later, after a great turnout, Peru signed another Free Trade Agreement with China and this came to be a fruitful trade partner …show more content…

In the fall, withered ferns are cut, and the harvest starts in the spring of the next year. There are two types of asparagus: green and white; They are from the same plant, but spears of white asparagus are harvested before they receive sun light. (3) Green Asparagus is fresh and healthy while white Asparagus is the lesser crop that brings in less demand. 20 years ago, Peruvian asparagus would not be found in the isles of American supermarkets, whilst now Peru is the largest exporter of fresh asparagus bringing in most of it’s exports to primarily American buyers. Unlike most of its competitors, Peru hardly consumes any of its own produce exporting 99% of its output both fresh and processed. Only Mexico shows similar characteristics where 95% of the Asparagus is exported. Since Asparagus is native to the land, Peru has the advantage of growing the freshest and safest product that needs no type of processing or chemical preservatives. Roughly fifty percent of the Asparagus produced in Peru is green and sold fresh whilst the other half is white and sold in cans or jars. (Carnoy) Peru was able to produce asparagus very cheaply due to very low labour costs, cheap water and high yields. These factors offset the cost of exporting the goods, which is roughly half the cost of Peruvian asparagus by the time it reaches our shelves. When Peru came into the U.S. market with a

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