The average prices received by Spain’s fruit and vegetable exporters have fallen by 15 per cent during the first quarter of this year, with lettuce and tomato exports particularly affected.
With the exception of citrus and strawberries, prices for Spanish fresh produce dropped across the sector compared with the same period of 2007, according to national fruit and vegetable producer-exporter association Fepex.
Some of the sharpest price falls were seen in four of the country’s most important fresh products, specifically lettuce (down by 28 per cent), peppers (a fall of 16 per cent), tomatoes (14 per cent down) and cucumbers (which dropped by 9 per cent).
However, the figures were by no means all bad news for Spanish growers. Citrus prices increased by 26 per cent compared with the same period a year before, a rise that Fepex attributed to a fall in citrus production in Spain. In keeping with the fall in production, citrus exports dropped by 23 per cent to 1.4m tonnes, according to the association.
Strawberries also registered an average price increase of 11.5 per cent. Other fruit categories were less fortunate, with raspberry prices falling by 11 per cent and pear prices dropping by 21 per cent.
