Spanish fruit and vegetable exports fell sharply during the first three months of 2010, with the decrease particularly apparent in strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce, following problematic weather earlier this year, although many products did increase in value.
According to data from national producer federation Fepex, the total volume of fruit and vegetables exported from Spain between January and March fell by 6 per cent to 2.6m tonnes, compared with the same period of 2009.
Total vegetable exports dropped by 4 per cent to 1.3m tonnes, while fruit sales also decreased to 1.3m tonnes – an 8 per cent fall, although the value of Spanish fresh produce exports increased by 5 per cent to €2.6m.
Some of the most notable decreases were seen in tomatoes, which dropped by 16 per cent to 327,865 tonnes, and in lettuce, where export volumes suffered a 12 per cent fall to 218,241 tonnes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the heavy rains that damaged crops in the key Spanish soft fruit production area of Huelva, strawberry export volumes slumped by 31 per cent during the three months of the year to 49,423 tonnes.
One of Spain’s major fruit and vegetable production regions, Murcia, recorded an 8 per cent drop in exports during the period, although the value of those sales was 9 per cent higher than during the same months of last year.
According to Murcian exporter association Proexport, an unstable climate – in the form of prolonged low temperatures and persistent rains – was principally to blame for the fall in volumes, which largely affected lettuce, tomato and lemon production in the region.
