Peru will become a food super power in a very short period of time thanks to the opportunities in agriculture, its growth's rhythm and the impetus of the entrepreneurs and farmers, said Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva.

The Peruvian government set a goal of doubling value-added manufactured goods led by steel and refined metals to US$25bn by 2025, a senior official said.

Peru's national exporter strategic plan, known as PENX, will run 105 programs to diversify exports into competitive and sustainable products, in addition to diversifying international markets, foreign trade minister Magali Silva said.

The government also aims to triple the value of annual export services to US$18bn, she said.

The Achuar community and Occidental Petroleum Corp have reached a settlement regarding a case filed in 2007 on toxins contamination the company was responsible for in Lot 1-AB from 1971-2000. 

Bidding on the rights to develop Peru's biggest oil block will begin next month, and a winner will likely be announced in August, state energy agency Perupetro said on Thursday.

April 13 is the tentative date set for the start of bidding, but the government must first wrap up negotiations with indigenous groups over pollution, Perupetro president Luis Ortigas said, adding that an agreement is expected next week.

Peru's Minister of Energy and Mines (MEM), Rosa Maria Ortiz, assured energy social inclusion allowed the expansion of energy coverage in the country, which has risen from 57% in 1993 to 92% last year. 

Coffee growers expect a recovery and growth of 32%, despite a lingering rust infection affecting almost half the crops, according to Gestion.

The National Coffee Board general manager, Lorenzo Castillo told Gestion that coffee production will improve and grow this year compared to last year.

Peruvian chef Mar�a Jos� Jord�n won best young chef in the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Also known as Majo Jord�n, the 24-year-old won the title of best young chef of the region in 2015 yesterday.

Together with fellow Peruvian Aaron Chlimper, the two Peruvians were part of a select few cooks from Latin America and the Caribbean that competed to win a spot in the world-wide S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition.

Children born during, and up to three years after, the devastating 1997-1998 El Ni�o event in northern Peru were found to be shorter than their peers in a new study covered in EARTH Magazine. The rising waters wiped out crops, drowned livestock, cut off bridges, and caused prolonged famine in many rural villages.

A backpacking trip through South America 10 years ago has somehow led a Texas native to set up shop in a 700-square-foot retail space on East Burnside Street in Portland to sell handmade Peruvian shoes. 

For some women, it's a lesbian thing. For others, it's about gender identity, personal empowerment, community action, or a woman's right to a life without violence. For many, it's all those things at once.