Peru’s Non-Traditional Exports To Canada Seen Up 20 Percent This Year

Peruvian non-traditional exports to Canada, the country’s fourth biggest trade partner, could rise by more than 20 percent this year thanks to a free trade agreement that came into force in 2009, a top Peruvian government official said.

Jose Luis Silva, Peru’s Trade and Tourism Minister, said that Peru’s non-traditional exports to Canada have increased to $96 million in 2011 from $48 million in 2009 as products from the fishing sector jumped 118 percent, 48 percent from agriculture and 23 percent from textiles.

“In the agriculture, there is a lot to still develop because the volume of total Read more…

Peru Exports Total $3.67 Billion In February, Up 9 Percent On Year

Peruvian exports totaled $3.67 billion in February, up 9 percent from the same month last year, according to the exporters’ association, Adex.

The growth rate in exports, however, was significantly slower than in January, when shipments abroad increased 27 percent year-on-year, state news agency Andina reported.

The slowdown in growth was the result of a slowdown in mineral exports due to concerns about the economic crisis in Europe and a decrease in demand from Read more…

Peru Miners Rescued Unharmed in Ica

The nine miners who had been trapped 250 meters underground for six days began to emerge from the Cabeza de Negro mine shaft just before 7am Wednesday, helped by rescue teams and welcomed by President Humala at the entry to the mine shaft.

The rescue was expected to be completed late Tuesday , but a large rock in the tunnel blocked access to the miners.  The rock, some two meters deep, had to be broken down slowly to Read more…

Indigenous Communities Reject Prior Consultation Law Rules

Indigenous leaders on Wednesday came out against the regulations of the Prior Consultation Law, enacted Tuesday, daily El Comercio reported.

One of the main reasons why some indigenous community organizations are against the law, which is intended to provide the communities with better consultation rights on natural resource projects, is that the legislation is not binding.

Instead, the government has reserved the right to make the final decision on whether a project will be developed if the indigenous communities reject it in the consultation process. The law is intended to prevent social conflicts by improving Read more…

Peru Approves Prior Consultation Regulations

Peru’s government published on Tuesday regulations that govern the “Prior Consultation Law,” new legislation that is intended to improve dialogue with indigenous communities that are affected by development projects, especially mining and energy projects.

The regulations, which were published in the official newspaper El Peruano, point out that the seven-stage consultation process should take approximately 120 days. Government entities will be responsible for carrying out the consultation, which indigenous groups can choose to do in their native languages or in Spanish.

The Prior Consultation Law (Law 29785) was enacted in September last year by President Ollanta Humala during a ceremony in the jungle town of Bagua, a gesture Read more…

Gov’t Accepts Resignation Of Official Connected To Illegal Mining

Peru’s government has accepted the resignation of a high-ranking government official who was linked in a media report to illegal gold mining.

Luis Zavaleta, the former director general of hydrocarbons, submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Energy and Mines on Friday, daily Peru.21 reported.

The resignation followed an investigative report published in newspaper El Comercio on the same day that said Zavaleta owned a company called Universal Metal Trading SAC.

Universal Metal Trading was founded in 1999 and describes itself as a company Read more…

Humala: Peru To Start Development Of Southern Andean Gas Pipeline

President Ollanta Humala, dressed in a south Amazon-style tunic or cushma and a feathered headdress, announced in the Cusco town of Quillabamba the plans to begin construction of the Southern Andean Gas Pipeline.

The pipeline, which will be more than 1,000 kilometers long, is to transport gas from the Camisea fields in the Amazonian jungle in southeastern Peru to the cities in the southern departments of Cusco, Puno and Arequipa in the Andean highlands and Moquegua and Tacna on the coast.

Humala, who took office last July, said during a televised ceremony that the pipeline will provide significant development to southern Peru.

“This is a massive, but real, project. A project that is going to change not only life Read more…

Business Groups Say Exports Could Rise Above $50 Billion This Year

Business groups in Peru said they are confident the country can increase its exports to more than $50 billion this year, state news agency Andina reported.

President Ollanta Humala on Monday said that Peru should aim to export over $50 billion in 2012. In 2011, Peru’s exports totaled approximately $46 billion, up from $36 billion in the previous year.

“We are taking on the challenge very well,” said Alfonso Garcia-Miró, the head of Peru’s leading private business association, Confiep. “The forecasts for investment are really good, the President has set an interesting goal of $50 billion and we are confident we can meet it.”

The president of Peru’s National Mining and Petroleum Society, Pedro Martinez, said also that “it is possible to reach the goal.”

“We are seeing an exceptional dynamic, above all outside Lima, with growth in employment and salaries and this should lead to greater production,” Martinez said.

Carlos Chiappori, president of the foreign trade society Comex Peru, agrees it is possible to reach the export goal. “There are a lot of conditions to keep growing and the business surveys show that confidence is growing, as well as consumption,” he said.

Lima Loses $112 Million A Year In Water Theft

Lima’s state water utility company, Sedapal, says that each year it loses close to 300 million soles ($112 million) due to theft of water, daily El Comercio reported.

Sedapal chairman Anibal Ismodes said a high number of the current robberies are being perpetrated by companies and families that don’t pay for the service through clandestine connections.  The water being robbed is equivalent to 17.5% of the annual water supply to the city.

Ismodes said that Sedapal is seeking ways to decrease the theft.

“We are increasing our capacity to intervene. People believe the water is straight from the river and so have the right to use it,” Ismodes said. “These robberies are harmful because they are resources that aren’t paid for and as a result, we aren’t investing for others who need it.”

He pointed out, however, that the clandestine connections are not all necessarily made by people and industries in poor areas of the city.

Last year, Ismodes said, Sedapal discovered a clandestine water connection through an 80mm pipe in the upscale Jockey Plaza shopping mall. The pipe had been installed, according to Ismodes, by Chilean-owned Cencosud, which owns the Wong and Metro supermarket chains.   Another illicit connection was found in a building in the upscale El Polo area.

Ismodes said a possible privatization of Sedapal —encouraged by private project development companies in Lima since the privatization boom of the 1990s— would result in higher rates for consumers because current utility rates would not be sufficiently profitable for a private company. 

The use of water in Peru is a major issue, particularly along its arid coast and mountain regions. Lima, the country’s capital, is the second largest desert city in the world, after Cairo.

According to the dean of the Lima College of Engineers, Luis Mejía, Lima has a guaranteed water supply for only three years unless major investments are made to secure  the supply from the Andes.

A large number of people in Lima’s poorest, outlying areas do not have access to running water, and are forced to buy their water from water trucks that make weekly or monthly visits, paying several times more than people served by the Sedapal network.

The Hague Sets Dates For Oral Arguments For Peru-Chile Maritime Dispute

December 3 is the date set for Peru and Chile to begin their oral arguments at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, over a long-time maritime border dispute, Peru’s Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Roncagliolo announced Thursday.

The hearings are expected to last until December 14, Roncagliolo said during an interview with RPP radio station.

“We have a date. The hearings are going to start with the presentation from Peruvian state’s agent, Ambassador Allan Wagner, on December 3, 2012,” he said.

Chile is to make its presentation on December 6-7, which will be followed by a Read more…

« Previous Page — Next Page »