Fluid demand in EU markets helped lift Spanish fruit and vegetable exports in the first half of this year. According to the latest trade figures from Fepex, shipments were up almost 12 per cent in value and 6 per cent in volume compared to the same period of 2014.
In the fruit sector, the increase was due to a strong performance by berries (up 15 per cent to €861m), oranges (+27 per cent to €792m) and stonefruit (+7 per cent at €503m).
In vegetables meanwhile, exports of tomatoes remained stable at 623,000 tonnes but fell by just over 2 per cent in value to €612m. Pepper exports were up almost 5 per cent at €509m and cucumbers were down 2 per cent at €246m. In spite of a 16 per cent fall in export volume, the value of courgette shipments climbed 57 per cent to €196m. Other strong performers were lettuce (+15 per cent to €409m) and cruciferous vegetables (+12 per cent to €311m).
Sales to the EU increased by 14 per cent compared to the same period of last year, while shipments to non-EU countries were up 30 per cent in value, reaching €205m.
Fepex put the solid performance down to strong across EU markets. “Shipments to non-EU countries also did well although these still account for a very small proportion of sales,” the association said in a press release. “For this reason, we consider it a priority to boost our competitiveness in the European market, on which the fresh produce industry relies economically and as a generator of employment.”
