Value of both fruit and vegetable imports climbed through January-August when compared with the same period of 2023
Spanish fruit and vegetable imports have continued to trend upwards, with 2 per cent growth in volume and 10 per cent in value recorded in the January-August period of 2024.
The figures, released by the Customs Department and processed by Fepex, showed import volume of 2.8mn tonnes at a value of €3.26bn for the eight-month period.
Vegetable imports for the year to August exceeded 1.3mn tonnes, year-on-year growth of 10 per cent, while value climbed above €1bn, up 16 per cent.
Potatoes were the most imported vegetable, with 798,309 tonnes (up 13 per cent) worth €374mn (up 21 per cent), followed by tomatoes with 109,974 tonnes, the same volume as the previous year but 3 per cent higher in value at €127mn.
This was followed by onions, which saw a 15 per cent fall in volume and an 18 per cent drop in value to 93,934 tonnes and €63mn respectively, and green beans, with 73,651 tonnes (up 15 per cent) at a value of €122mn (up 20 per cent).
In the fruit segment, imports came in at 1.5mn tonnes and €2.228bn in value (up 8 per cent), with bananas and avocados standing out as the most imported fruits.
Banana imports grew 1.5 per cent to to 274,141 tonnes, up 1.5 per cent, at a value of €187mn or growth of 2.5 per cent.
Avocado imports came in at 176,147 tonnes (up 2 per cent) and €418mn (up 16 per cent).
Fepex pointed out that oranges fell by 6 per cent in volume and 20 per cent in value, totalling 149,291 tonnes and €81.5mn respectively, while apple imports dropped by 13 per cent in volume (126,900 tonnes) with a stable value of €131mn.
