Fruit logistica 2015 partner country Portugal
From 4-6 February 2015, Portugal will not only further boost its image, but also underline its position as a supplier of quality products for international buyers.
During the course of its EU membership, Portugal has become an important exporter of fresh produce, with its agricultural and food industry products meeting the highest food quality and safety standards.
The volume of fresh produce exported from the southern European country increased 26 percent over the past three years, from 780 million Euro in 2010 to 983 million Euro in 2013. These figures published by Portugal Fresh, the trade association of fruit, vegetable and flower exporters, show that the country is gaining global market shares with high-quality products sold at competitive prices.
Last year, Portugal produced fruits and vegetables worth 2.6 billion Euro, with exports accounting for 1 billion Euro. Most of the country's exports are shipped to European countries. Other important customers include South America and Africa.
The country's geographic location is ideal for transport by sea with excellent connections to Europe, South America and West Africa.
The influence of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea offer Portugal unique climatic conditions for growing fruit and vegetables. Mild, sunny weather allows for earlier harvesting, in many cases outside of the production cycles in central and northern European countries. Portugal has the highest annual average of sunny days in Europe, which has a positive effect on the flavour and aroma of the country's produce. The mild, frost-free climate along the coast enables outdoor cultivation of produce that elsewhere can only be grown in greenhouses.
New irrigation infrastructures developed over the past few years offer lucrative investment opportunities in fruit and vegetable production. The Alqueva Reservoir, Europe's largest artificial lake, is located in the Alentejo/Alqueva region of Portugal. This is one of the areas with the highest agricultural potential. The reservoir is used to irrigate some 120,000 hectares of arable land.
Portugal exhibited for the first time at FRUIT LOGISTICA in 2000. The Portuguese pavilion has been organised by Portugal Fresh since 2011.
Further information about Portugal, FRUIT LOGISTICA 2015 partner country, is available here.