Spanish horticultural exports in September dropped by 8% in volume and 4.6% in value compared to the same month of 2013, reaching 510,698 tonnes and 442.9 million Euro, according to updated data supplied by the General Customs Directorate of the Tax Agency and processed by FEPEX.
Vegetable exports dropped by 23% in volume and 21% in value, reaching 151,889 tonnes and 117 million Euro. This is due to the sharp decline registered by tomatoes, with 21,401 tonnes (-41%), cucumbers (-46%), potatoes (-46%) and courgettes (-53%). Such drops affect almost all products.
Fruit exports in September totalled 364,809 tonnes, the same as in September 2013, and the value increased by 2.8% to a total of 325.8 million Euro. Nectarines, peaches and mandarins were the most exported fruits with 62,236 tonnes (+4.7%), 47,906 tonnes (-7%) and 33,060 tonnes (+44%), respectively.
According to FEPEX, the sharp drop in Spanish vegetable exports in September can be attributed mainly to the Russian veto, in effect since 7 August, and to the growth of the EU's domestic production. Direct exports of Spanish fruit and vegetables to Russia have gone from 10,383 tonnes in September 2013 to just 131 tonnes in the same month this year.
In the period between January and September, Spanish horticultural exports increased in volume and dropped in value. They totalled 8.5 million tonnes, 3% more than in the same period of 2013, and amounted to 7,586 million Euro (-1%). The growth in export volumes is attributable mainly to the good performance of sales in countries outside Europe, which increased by 32% to a total of 487,112 tonnes, worth 381 million Euro (+20%).