European fresh produce trade association Freshfel has reported contrasting trends for fresh fruit and vegetable imports and exports last year. In 2010, the volume of fresh fruit imports into the EU fell by 1.6 per cent on the previous year to 10.6 million tonnes while value rose by 2.7 per cent. Vegetable imports declined 4.4 per cent while their value leapt 10.1 per cent. Conversely exports from both categories increased substantially, with sendings of fruit climbing 13.1 per cent to 3.2mt, with an uplift in value of some 32.3 per cent. Meanwhile, vegetable exports rose by 8.9 per cent as values spiralled by 36.8 per cent.

Daniel Corbel, chairman of the export division of Freshfel explained: “We welcome the on-going growth of our exports which remain widely influenced by the developments on the Russian and Ukrainian markets, but further development could be expected if solutions would be found in regard to cost complexity and unnecessary restrictive constraints of phytosanitary protocols.”

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