Extenda, the Andalusian Agency for Exports and Foreign Promotion, has carried out two direct commercial missions in two of the main markets of the European continent, France and the United Kingdom, the second and third destination for Andalusia's horticultural sector, respectively, focused on the organic subsector.
The missions allowed 19 Andalusian companies to contact 11 British and French importers to expand their commercial synergies and promote new growth in sales in two territories where Andalusia managed to export horticultural products worth 855 million euro in the first four months of 2021.
Andalusia is the national leader in fruit and vegetable exports to Europe, accounting for 44% of Spanish sales. In the first four months of 2021, the region achieved sales of 2,885 million euro, a historical record for this period since that there are comparable records (1995). This figure represents an interannual growth of 1.5%.
According to data from Extenda, an entity dependent on the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administration, and the Interior, the organic market achieves an annual turnover of 12,000 million euro in France, the second-biggest producing country after Spain, in terms of area, and ranks second in Europe in terms of consumption of organic products after Germany, with an average of 178 euro per inhabitant per year.
This sector also has interesting prospects in the United Kingdom. A significant part of the population has improved their diet due to the outbreak of the pandemic. As a result, consumption of organic products and, in particular, fresh fruit and vegetables, has experienced remarkable growth in the British market.
“The way consumers understand food has changed due to the COVID health crisis and climate challenge. This has led to a greater demand for quality products that are beneficial for health, such as organic products. Andalusian companies should see this as an opportunity to expand their business,” stated the CEO of Extenda, Arturo Bernal.
“Andalusia is the leading community in Spain in organic area, with more than one million hectares, triple that of the following community, with a growth of 3.1% in 2020, which reflects a firm commitment to respond to the new demands of very demanding markets, such as the European markets, which also helps to reinforce our leadership in fruit and vegetable exports,” he added. "Extenda must continue working to offer support to companies in the Andalusian fruit and vegetable sector, which has no roof and can continue to grow even in mature destinations like Europe thanks to these quality niches that our farmers have," he stated.
For more information:
Extenda
www.extenda.es