Spanish exports broke through the €8 billion (£7.12bn) barrier for the first time in 2008, producer-exporters’ association Fepex has announced.
The exact figure of €8.01bn marks a 4.2 per cent increase on 2007 and comes despite a 1.8 per cent decline in volume, to 9.4 million tonnes.
In value, fruit exports increased by 5.8 per cent and salads and vegetables by two per cent. In volume terms, fruit sendings were seven per cent behind 2007 and vegetables and salads were 6.3 per cent ahead.
A Fepex spokesperson said: “It is important to underline the good performance in both volume and value terms of fruit sendings, with the exception of citrus. Stonefruit performed particularly well and average prices rose from €0.75 a kilo to €0.85. In contrast, though, vegetable and salad average prices fell back by four per cent from €0.88 in 2007 to €0.85 in 2008.”
According to the producer-exporters’ association, the results demonstrate how robust the sector is given the economic downturn. The spokesperson said: “This shows the capacity of the Spanish fresh produce export sector to maintain its activity and employment during a deep economic recession and how strategic a role it plays in the overall Spanish agriculture and export portfolios.”
Fepex is now calling on the national government, through the ministry for the environment, rural and marine affairs, to put in place a series of measures to improve Spain’s competitive position in the marketplace.
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