Spanish companies belonging to Murcia-based export association Proexport have experienced a mixed campaign over the last 12 months, with a rise in lettuce and watermelon sales partially compensating for a sharp fall in tomato exports.
But a season that began badly during autumn 2009 as a result of unexpectedly high temperatures in the south-east Spanish region, was also turned around by favourable conditions during the winter and spring, more than making up for the early losses.
In its summary of the 2009/10 campaign, Proexport, which represents 55 of Murcia’s top fresh produce companies, said its members had marketed 867,823 tonnes of products during the season, slightly down from the 869,184 tonnes sold in the previous campaign.
However, the value of these sales, some 64 per cent of which were accounted for by exports outside Spain’s borders, increased to €690m – 4 per cent more than during the 2008/09 season.
Iceberg lettuce remains the association’s principal product for export, with Proexport’s members selling 4 per cent more than the previous campaign, at 211,807 tonnes.
However, the Murcian group’s second most important export product, tomato, continued its long decline in the face of tough non-EU competition, with exports dropping by 11 per cent to 94,902 tonnes – a figure only comparable with the 1992/93 season, 17 years ago.
Melon exports also recorded a major slump during the campaign, falling by 17 per cent to 63,194 tonnes; an occurrence that Proexport blamed on “adverse weather conditions, particularly at the start of the season”.
More positively, the group said that group said that watermelon export sales increased by 96 per cent, due in the main to the incorporation of Surinver to Proexport during the year.
As well as Surinver, recent months have also featured the entry of several other leading Murcian fresh produce companies into the association, including Natural Salads and Comercial Peregrin.
At a press conference to announce the report, Proexport’s president, Juan Marín Bravo, said the campaign had been “positive” in spite of the continuing economic recession.
“In the horticultural export sector, the figures demonstrate that we are maintaining our sales levels in international markets, generating wealth and ensuring that thousands of workers remain employed,” he said.
In terms of the 2011 campaign, Mr Marín said that the association was hopeful that demand in Europe would drive sales forward this season. He also called on the Spanish fresh produce sector to maintain a united front in defence of “those factors that enable us to be more competitive”.
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