The main commercial crops are coffee, sugarcane, cotton, and rice. The production for local consumption, much of which is grown by peasants who still practice subsistence agriculture, includes potatoes, corn, barley, wheat, manioc, sweet potatoes and vegetables and fruits. Agriculture is concentrated mainly in the valleys of the coastal region, in the basins and valleys of the high level surface of the Andes, and in the western margins of the eastern region. Of the total workforce, 35 percent is employed in agriculture (1988); the portion was 58 percent in 1958.
The forests yield nearly 8 million cubic meters of wood annually, including a substantial proportion of valuable hardwoods.
Pastoralism plays an important role in the paramos zone and in the high valleys and basins of the Andes. The total number of livestock in 1987 included cattle, sheeps, goats, alpacas, llamas and vicunas. Large quantities of wool are produced, part of which is used in local handicrafts and industry.
An insignificant industry until the late 1950s, fishing has since grown into a major economic activity. Peru has one of the world's largest fishing zones, rich in a wide variety of fish and marine life. The annual catch exceeded 10 million tons in the late 1960s and early 1970s (the world's largest at that time). It dropped substantially in the mid-1970s, due mainly to overfishing, and has not recoverd since.The catch was 4.3 million tons in 1987. Large quantities of fish meal are produced.