Peruvian foreign trade is heading towards a year-end of extraordinary dynamism. The Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), through its Institute of Research and Foreign Trade Development (Idexcam), projected that Peruvian exports would reach US$110.794 billion by the end of 2026.
This projection for foreign sales would represent a growth of 21.16% compared to 2025, driven mainly by the mining sector, although with significant differences in the performance of various exporting activities.
Mining
According to CCL estimates, mining exports would reach approximately US$79.497 billion, with growth close to 32%, consolidating it as the main engine of Peruvian foreign trade and representing around 72% of the total projected value.
The largest increases would be registered in lead (81%), silver (50%), gold (38%), and copper (29%). This performance would be favored by high international prices and demand associated with the energy transition, electromobility, and the development of technological infrastructure.
This scenario confirms the strategic importance of mining for generating foreign currency and highlights the need to strengthen conditions that allow taking advantage of international market opportunities.
Oil, Gas, and Industry
Favorable performance would extend to other relevant sectors. Oil and natural gas exports would grow by 27%, followed by the iron and steel sector (15%) and chemical sector (8%).
Among the most dynamic products, petroleum derivatives, liquefied natural gas, copper manufactures, organic chemical products, and plastic and rubber manufactures would stand out.
For the CCL, these prospects reflect opportunities that the country must seize through greater investment, efficient infrastructure, and improved competitiveness.
Agro-exports and Fishing
However, the export outlook also presents important warning signs, the CCL warned.
The agricultural sector would register a contraction of close to 4% this year, mainly due to projected declines in exports of cocoa and its derivatives (-45%) and coffee (-31%), in a context of normalizing international prices.
This setback would be partially offset by the estimated growth of fruit exports (10%).
Meanwhile, fishing exports would decrease by around 14%, affected by lower shipments of fishmeal (-34%) and mollusks (-13%) in a scenario of climate risks and supply restrictions.
These sectoral differences highlight that export growth will not be uniform and that Peru needs to strengthen the responsiveness of its productive sectors to changes in the international market.
The Challenge
The CCL warns that these projections could be affected by the volatility of international prices, geopolitical tensions, climatic anomalies, supply restrictions, and internal logistical problems.
In this context, the Lima Chamber of Commerce considers it essential to accelerate investments in logistical infrastructure, diversify export offerings, strengthen risk management, and increase the competitiveness of non-traditional sectors.
"Peru has the opportunity to exceed US$110 billion in exports, but the real challenge is to convert that growth into sustainable development, greater competitiveness, and new opportunities for Peruvian companies," the CCL stated.
