Spanish produce exports have ended 2009 down in both volume and value on 2008, according to estimated figures released by Fepex, the national federation of producer-exporter associations.

According to the body, volumes are estimated to have fallen by three per cent to 9.1 million tonnes and values to have declined by four per cent to

€7.6 billion (£6.8bn). The main reasons for the changes are price pressure and a massive hike in competition on EU markets.

A spokeswoman at Fepex said: “These figures reflect the loss of competitiveness of fruit and vegetable plantations over recent seasons, not just in relation to those in other EU member states but also third countries, where labour costs are significantly lower than those in Spain.

“Elsewhere in the EU, production is increasing markedly, in part due to the application of [new] production techniques and in part due to the regionalisation of decoupled EU aid, which is distorting competition... within the EU.”

Fepex has been calling on national government to take urgent action issues such as commercial agreements with third countries, social and financial measures, farm modernisation and prevention and crisis management, as well as calling on the EU not to ratify its new association agreement with Morocco.

And at the end of last year, producer groups met with the Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who committed to coming up with “concrete measures within a month” to put an end to the crisis, looking in particular at restructuring production and addressing the issue of rock-bottom pricing.

Alfonso Gálvez Caravaca, secretary-general of grower group ASAJA Murcia, which represents producers in the south-eastern region of Spain, said: “Our meeting generated a lot of expectations for the revitalisation of the sector, but we will have to wait until Februrary when the prime minister will see us again to see if he is working along the right lines and if he truly does want to solve the problems we face in the Spanish countryside.”

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