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This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

Peru boasts a thriving food processing industry that plays a crucial role in its economy. This sector contributes approximately 27 percent to the country's industrial gross domestic product.

The United States is a major trading partner with the Dominican Republic (DR). The DR is the largest economy in the Caribbean and the seventh-largest economy in Latin America. Since the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) went into effect for the DR in 2007, U.S. agricultural exports to the DR have increased from $1 billion in 2007 to $2 billion in 2024.

In 2023, Peru was the 28th-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, valued at $851 million, making it the 3rd-largest market in South America. The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force in February 2009, and U.S. agricultural exports reached $1 billion for the first time in 2014, peaking at $1.36 billion in 2018. The United States accounts for 14 percent of Peru's agricultural import market share, positioning it as the second-largest supplier to the country.

The food retail sector in Peru is anticipated to experience 5 percent growth by the conclusion of 2024, attributed to the overall enhancement in the country's economic landscape and targeted strategies devised by both the modern and traditional food channels.

In the Caribbean region, sales value in the retail grocery sector increased by 3 percent in 2023. This is due in part to the rise in tourism in many markets, which is boosting economic growth. The largest grocery retail markets are Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, and the Bahamas.

Peru has a robust food processing industry that is an integral part of its economy. The food industry contributes to nearly 27 percent of the country's industrial gross domestic product (GDP). However, the non-primary manufacturing sector, which encompasses food and beverage production, experienced a decline of 8.1 percent in 2023.

Peru is an internationally recognized gastronomic hub with opportunities for imported complementary food products. Health restrictions eased during 2021 but the foodservice sector has yet to recover pandemic-related losses. The industry will also...

Sales in the Caribbean retail grocery sector decreased by 1.7 percent in 2022, primarily as the result of closing retail outlets in the French West Indies.

Peru´s food retail sector grew 2.7 percent in 2022. Growth was driven by better performance of the modern channel, especially in the development of new store formats and an aggressive discounting campaign to encourage sales.

Peru’s food processing industry is a dynamic sector of the national economy. The food industry in Peru accounts for almost 27 percent of the industrial gross domestic product. The sector declined 3.9 percent with respect 2021, mainly due to international externalities such as higher costs of food ingredients and energy.

Peru is the third-largest South American market for U.S. consumer-oriented agricultural products. Increasing wealth and lower barriers to entry were facilitated by the implementation of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), resulting in a 423-percent increase in consumer-oriented exports from $65 million in 2009 to $340 million in 2021.