According to the National Service of Agrarian Health (Senasa), the region of Arequipa has approximately 9,200 hectares devoted to the cultivation of onions that produce 332.5 thousand tons per campaign.

These figures have placed the region as the first producer at the national level, and this crop has become an important source of income for its producers.

In addition to supplying the national market, Senasa estimated that 35% of Arequipas total onion production is destined for export, mainly to the United States and Spain. They also export it to Bolivia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Inspection for shipping
In order to ensure that each export batch meets the requirements of the importing country, Senasa inspects each shipment, verifies its documentation, and certifies it.

Some of the countries that have signed a Work Plan or Phytosanitary Protocol with Peru require that the vegetable products that are exported come from production sites certified by the Senasa, according to the requirements of the National Organization of Phytosanitary Protection of each country.

Their goal is to certify that the production site has a phytosanitary management plan that ensures that the quarantine pests regulated by the destination countries are controlled and that the risk of dissemination through the product to be exported is reduced. These phytosanitary actions carried out by Senasa seek to open new markets for export.