Arequipa strengthens leadership, Most active export economy in the South Peru added US$5.675 billion in shipments from January to September 2025. Teresa Mera, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, highlighted this achievement when she attended the “Exporting Dreams” conference organized by the Exporters Association (adex) presented progress and challenges to strengthen the region’s offer.
The official stressed that the transitional government led by Jose Geri is seeking to accelerate economic stimulus from the region. MSME. He said the initiative is based on three strategic axes aimed at making better use of international agreements, increasing business readiness and facilitating access to tools that increase competitiveness.
Mera recalled that the country has 23 trade agreements in force with 58 countries, and that number will increase to 25 with the entry into force of agreements with Guatemala and Hong Kong. He added that negotiations with India and El Salvador are still ongoing, and negotiations for an initial trade deal with Middle East partner the United Arab Emirates will begin in December. He also mentioned the agreement with Indonesia signed in August. 2025which should be applied during the first half of 2026.
Ministers underlined the completion of the second phase within the framework of capacity building. Market Diversification Forum The event brought together over 300 MSMEs in Arequipa. On this day, companies had access to important tools to expand their presence in new destinations, including technical advice, training and business meetings with international buyers.
owner of Mincetour reported that the third phase of the Program for Internationalization Assistance (PAI) will begin in 2026, with S45 million allocated for co-financing business projects. The amounts range from S/330,000 to S/330,000 depending on the progress of each initiative aimed at entering or integrating into external markets.
Finally, in December, the following was announced: Multi-sectoral national foreign trade policy This document defines routes that will optimize the use of trade agreements, improve logistics efficiency and facilitate a more diverse export offer in the coming years.
area of arequipa It has an export basket with a strong combination of traditional mining and expanding efforts in agro-industry and light industry. According to the latest report, more than 90% of the company’s overseas shipment value corresponds to traditional products, mainly minerals such as copper, which will reach approximately USD 3.457 billion in 2024, followed by silver and other metals.
In non-traditional fields, arequipa In 2024, exports amounted to approximately $222.9 million, with particular emphasis on fresh grapes, alpaca fibers and textile products derived from them. Alpaca fiber, in particular, has a decisive weight as it accounts for approximately 59% of the region’s non-traditional exports.
he Agricultural products export sector In the southern zone, it includes: arequipa— also showed remarkable performance. In the first half of 2025, international sales increased by approximately 24%. This was particularly driven by grapes, where exports increased by around 44%, and avocados, which increased by around 18%. These figures reflect that despite the dominance of mining, the region continues to expand and diversify its exports.
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