Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the newly elected president of Peru, made an appearance at the Peru to the World Expo Sept. 18 (at Metropolitan West in New York City), to support the launch of a new Superfoods from Peru brand.

PPK, as he is widely known, arrived toward the end of the four-hour expo to voice his commitment to Peru's agriculture industry and its growing importance in global markets. Throngs of fans clamored for a photo or even just a glimpse of the popular president, who defeated Keiko Fujimori in a close contest in June.

The expo featured 20 chefs, who prepared traditional Peruvian dishes that featured some of Peru's agricultural gems, such as avocados, blueberries and quinoa.

Eduardo Ferreyros, Peru's Minister of Foreign Commerce and Tourism, told The Produce News that the launch of the Superfoods from Peru brand at the expo was significant, as the United States is the most important market for Peruvian agriculture.

"In 2009, Peru exported $500 million worth of agricultural products to the United States," he said. "Today, the value is $1.5 billion, and we hope to increase that to $3 billion in the next five years."

Ferreyros said the ministry has worked hard for years to promote agriculture and the effort is now paying off. He said it will continue with its promotions and has opened U.S. offices in New York and Miami to help support the cause.

Avocados and blueberries were the featured superfoods at the expo, and Lima-based Camposol is a leader in both items.

'We support Avocados from Peru and Blueberries from Peru," said José Antonio Gomez Bazan, chief executive officer of Camposol Trading. "We have seen double-digit growth of these items and we need to keep consumption growing. The Superfoods from Peru brand was the second step after Avocados from Peru and Blueberries from Peru, and we will add more in the future, with items like citrus and grapes."