With the escalating tensions between Russia and the West, a solution does not seem to be on the horizon. The overall export figures published last week were a good picture of the overall damage that the EU Member States suffer from the boycott, the figures per product also provide a good picture about which sectors in which countries have been most hit.
Looking at the volumes per product per country, the top ten consists of four countries; Poland, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2013, Russia imported more than 705,000 tonnes of apples from Poland, thus Poland has been the most affected by the boycott. In second place we have Spanish peaches and nectarines, with 112,000 tonnes. The third place is for Belgian pears and Dutch tomatoes are fourth. The boycott entails that these countries must look for new destinations for these products.
When looking at exports in terms of revenue, a different picture emerges. The countries with the most exports are Poland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy. In 2013, Polish apple exports amounted to more than 389 million dollars; in second place, with less than half of the value of Polish exports, we have Spanish peaches and nectarines; close to 165 million dollars. Spanish tomato growers are in third place with a value of nearly $ 110 million, followed by Belgian pear exports, which account for more than $ 108 million.
