Germany has looked further afield for its pepper exports in 2011, according to new figures released by Eurostat and reported by Green Med Journal.
For the January-August period, German imports of peppers from EU countries dropped 1.5 per cent year-on-year, while sweet pepper imports from outside of the EU soared by 44.5 per cent.
However, this still meant that of the 230,264 tonnes imported through the eight-month period, 219,222 tonnes came from within the EU, with 11,042 tonnes arriving from other markets.
Sweet pepper imports into Germany have shown steady growth between 2007 and 2010, with volumes up 17 per cent –16 per cent growth from the EU and 50 per cent growth from non-EU countries.
According to the latest data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the top pepper exporting countries to Germany at last count were the Netherlands and Spain, followed by Austria, Hungary and Italy, Green Med Journal noted.
