LIMA - Peru climbed into second place among China's top suppliers of fresh cranberries, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) said on Sunday.

Peru ranked second after Chile by exporting some 4,000 tons, worth $34 million, to the Asian country in 2017, said the ministry.

An increase in national production and the signing of a phytosanitary protocol in 2016 that opened China's doors to fresh Peruvian cranberries, were credited for the export boom.

In 2017, Peru exported a total of $361 million worth of cranberries, 50 percent more than the year before, to become the world's third-largest exporter of the fruit.

Peru accounted for 12 percent of the global export, preceded by Chile, with 24 percent, and Spain, with 13 percent.

According to agribusiness trade website Agro Negocios Peru, the South American country has 4,000 hectares planted with cranberries, mainly in the northwestern regions of La Libertad and Lambayeque, as well as central Lima and southern Ica.

Producers estimate output will reach about 150 million kilos by 2023, almost four times today's annual production of 40 million kilos.

Cranberries are touted for their health benefits, including in fighting cardiovascular disease and urinary tract infections.