Evidence that overseas imports are being affected by reduced consumer spending levels on fruits and vegetables has been provided by new Eurostat figures, which showed total volumes dropped by 3 per cent during the first nine months of 2011.
According to data from the EU agency, processed by Spanish federation Fepex, the total volume of exports reached 10.1m tonnes between January and September last year, although the value of this trade rose slightly, by 1 per cent to €8.8m.
The average price of fruits and vegetables imported by the EU was €1.1 per kilo compared with €1.2 a year before, a decrease of 9 per cent.
Fruit imports in particular dropped by 4.5 per cent in volume terms to 8.3m tonnes and by 0.1 per cent in value to €7.1m, the figures revealed.
