Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable imports grew 7 per cent in value this January, rising to €257m euros, with an average price increase of 6 per cent.
Data from Customs and Excise Department, processed by Fepex, revealed that fresh produce import volumes climbed 1 per cent year-on-year to 274,142 tonnes.
Vegetable import volumes for January came to 147,830 tonnes, 1 per cent less than in the same month of 2021, while the value grew by 12 per cent, totalling €96m.
Leading imports for the segment included potatoes, up 17 per cent in value to €25.6m, and tomatoes, rising 30 per cent to €15.6m.
Morocco is Spain's leading tomato supplier, with 11,133 tonnes of the total 13,033 tonnes imported in January coming from the north African nation.
The average price of imported tomatoes grew by 21 per cent, standing at €1.20 per kg.
Some 126,312 tonnes of fruit was imported by Spain in January, up 3 per cent, at a value of €142m, up 4 per cent.
According to Fepex, bananas, apples and kiwifruit were the most popular fruits for the domestic market.
The average price of imported fruit stood at €1.3 per kg, 1 per cent higher than in January 2021.
'The statistics for the month of January show a notable growth in the value and average price of vegetables purchased by Spain abroad, promoting the attractiveness of the national market for fruit and vegetable production from third countries,' Fepex stated.
