Non-EU countries gaining share of Spanish fruit and veg imports

Of all Spanish fruit and vegetable imports made between January and August 2015, which totalled 1.6…

Of all Spanish fruit and vegetable imports made between January and August 2015, which totalled 1.6 million tonnes, 57% came from EU countries, compared to 63% in the same period of 2010. During this period, third countries have gained ground as suppliers to the Spanish market, accounting for 43% of the total, compared with 37% in 2010.

Within the EU, Spain's leading suppliers are France, Portugal and Italy. Spanish fruit and vegetable imports from France up to August 2015 amounted to 478,243 tonnes, 6% more than in the same period of 2014; imports from Portugal totalled 133,488 tonnes (-5%) and Italy supplied 94,732 tonnes, an increase of 16%.

In value terms, Spanish imports from France were worth 137.5 million Euro (-10%), Portugal's totalled 67 million Euro (+5%) and Italy reached 87 million Euro (+2%)

Spain's main non-EU suppliers are Morocco, with 181,294 tonnes (+22%) and 252 million Euro (+50%), Costa Rica, with 124,259 tonnes (+4%) worth 78 million Euro (+20%) and Brazil, with 54,994 tonnes (+9%) and 55.5 million Euro (+24%).

Export data up to August 2015, which are the latest available from the Directorate General of Customs, show the positive trend in recent years of Spanish imports from non-EU countries. The interest of the Spanish market for certain products became clear at FRUIT ATTRACTION, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetables sector, organised by FEPEX and IFEMA and held in Madrid last week, which counted on the participation of exhibitors from more than 25 countries.