New data from Eurostat has revealed that intra-EU fruit and vegetable trade increased in 2016, both in terms of volume and value.
The statistics showed that exports between member states rose 2 per cent in volume to 37.3m tonnes last year, while value had risen 7 per cent to €33.89bn.
The Netherlands in particular enjoyed strong growth in terms of intra-EU fresh produce trade, with exports up 11 per cent in volume and 12 per cent in value to 6.7m tonnes and €8bn respectively.
Spain, the leading member state in terms of intra-EU fruit and vegetable exports, saw trade value climb 5 per cent to €11.53bn, although its volumes dropped 2 per cent to 11.6m tonnes.
In terms of intra-EU trade share for fresh produce, the Netherlands upped its share from 16 per cent in 2015 to 18 per cent, while Spain's share dropped from 32 per cent to 31 per cent.
After these two countries, the main exporters within the EU are Belgium, France and Italy.
In 2016, exports of fruit and vegetables from Belgium to other EU member states came to 3.8m tonnes (-1 per cent) worth €2.95bn (+ 2 per cent).
France's figures stood at 3.6m tonnes in volume ( -6 per cent) and €2.4bn in value, while Italy registered 3.4m tonnes in volume (+8 per cent) and €3.5bn in value (+5 per cent).
