Status and Prospects of Non-food Agricultural Industry in the Region La Libertad

Abstract

Non-food agro-industry elaboratesintermediate and final consumer products, which are obtained fromagricultural, livestock, forest, and hydro-biological raw materials that are not directly used for human consumption. Among these, intermediate and nal products for the chemical, medical, cosmetics, wood, pulp and paper, leather, textile, and tobacco industries are found. The regional non-food agro-industry is, almost entirely, developed dependent on the food industry and represents a contribution of 13,6% to the agro-industry sector, 11,5% to the manufacturing sector and 2,2% to the Value Added of the regional production (VAP). These gures do not take into account different agro-industrial non-food products, which are obtained from the agricultural and livestock residues in agricultural, livestock, and agro-industrial enterprises, making them an additional economic income. Prospects of non-food agro-industries in La Libertad region should, initially, go toward the consolidation of activities with a greater value added, in which there is already previous work and productive experience in order to develop quality products for exporting. For the development of new non-food agro-industry activities, potential international marketsfor productsthat could have comparative advantagesshould be identi ed;these activitiesshould beworked so as to obtain the necessary competitive advantages to export. The non-food agro-industrial activities to be developed should involve the rural agro-industry by means of associations and strategic partnerships between farmers and the conventional agro-industry, taking as model successful agro-industry activities that have been implemented inthedifferentregions of our country.