Organic Inca berry and its byproducts produced in the Union Ambo community in Huancavelica region have broken sales record at Mistura’s Grand Market this year.
In March, three Foncodes Project Haku Wiñay users living in such town embarked on the production and trade of Aguaymanto –as Inca berry is commonly known in Peru– and its byproducts after being given technical assistance and training for their business venture.
Since then, Antonio Machuca Ruiz and his two partners Hebert Machuca Vilca and Doroteo Machuca Fernandez have harvested and traded 2,000 kilos of this Andean fruit. The product is picked and collected every two weeks to be sold in Huancayo.
Antonio Machuca was invited to join this year’s Mistura’s Grand Market to represent his small business “Dulce Ambino.” The product, cultivated at 2,900 meter above sea level, can be found at Haku Wiñay project stands.
The demand at Grand Market is huge, he says, so he is planning to bring another lot of Inca berry, because the initial load of 100 kilos he brought is almost sold out.
“We were trained by Haku Wiñay. We’ve won a rural business competition and received a S/.7,800 (about US$2,417) award, which we used to buy seeds, saplings, and irrigation sprinkler system pipes, as well as to hire a specialist,” Antonio explains.
Machuca is one of the 35 small producers at Foncodes Project Haku Wiñay and Noa Jayatai across 13 regions that are showcasing and selling agro ecological products at Stands No. 92 and 97 of the Grand Market.
Some of the products showcased include cheese, yogurt, caramel, bee honey, quinoa, maca, numia, banana flour, Inca berry, ground coffee, free-range eggs, jelly, native potatoes, tunta, chifles, cereals flour, yellow corn, cahui (dried and selected oca used to prepare maize pudding) several vegetables and ashaninka pottery.
(END) NDP/LIT/RMB/MVB
Published: 9/8/2015