Building a Resilient Agro-Export Industry: Global Competitiveness and Strategic Diversification of Peruvian Ginger

Introduction Peru has consolidated its position as an important supplier of fresh ginger. However, this expansion in scale has coexisted with geographic dependence and discontinuity among exporting firms. This tension raises the question of whether the position achieved represents a genuinely sustainable advantage or, rather, growth that remains vulnerable to trade disruptions. Objective To determine whether the growth of Peruvian ginger exports between 2010 and 2024 translated into competitive consolidation, commercial continuity, and viable opportunities for international market diversification. Methods A longitudinal database was constructed using customs records, global trade data, and macroeconomic conditions. The analysis integrated export growth, concentration, specialisation, competitive mobility, and trade duration. The assessment of factors associated with bilateral flows covered 59 destination markets and 885 country-year observations. Results Exports increased from USD 4.27 million to USD 103.37 million, while Peru’s share of world exports rose from 0.65% to 7.62%. Firm-level concentration declined from 2,597 to 344 points, whereas geographic concentration reached 3,793 points in 2024, equivalent to only 2.6 equally important markets. Persistence reached 92.9% in the highest market-share states and 81.8% in the highest competitiveness states. However, firm survival fell to 57.0% by years 13–14. Importer economic size (β = 1.599; p = 0.0074) and trade agreements (β = 3.924; p < 0.001) were positively associated with export flows, while distance remained a marginal constraint. Belgium emerged as a potential reactivation market, subject to commercial, sanitary, and logistical validation. Conclusions Peru’s export advantage is commercially verifiable but strategically incomplete. Greater resilience requires protecting core revenue-generating markets, strengthening recurrent secondary destinations, and pursuing new markets only where operational feasibility is demonstrated. The findings distinguish export growth from sustainable consolidation and provide evidence to support business management and trade-promotion strategies aimed at persistence, effective diversification, and reduced geographic exposure.