The upward trend of Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable imports has continued, with the country taking on more fresh produce from overseas in both volume and value terms for the January-August period when compared with 2015.
According to the latest data from the Department of Customs and Excise, processed by Fepex, imports grew 17 per cent year-on-year in volume terms to 1.9m tonnes, while soaring 26 per cent in value to €1.57bn.
Fruit imports grew 24 per cent in volume and 25 per cent in value, totaling 1m tonnes and €1.1bn respectively, highlighting a sharp increase in a wide range of products such as lemons, oranges, bananas, apples, watermelons, avocados and berries.
The import of vegetables from January to August increased by 9 per cent in volume and 27 per cent in value, placing it at 833,052 tonnes and €477m.
Potatoes were the most imported vegetable, with 468,728 tonnes and €142m (up 69.5 per cent), while there was also growth in tomatoes, beans, onions, zucchini and peppers.
