In 2021, fresh vegetables were cultivated on 2.0 million hectares of land across the EU, on which 67.2 million tonnes of the crop was produced. The three most commonly grown fresh vegetables – in quantity terms – were tomatoes (17.9 million tonnes of harvested
production), onions (7.1 million tonnes), and carrots (5.3 million tonnes).
Spain was the leading producer of fresh vegetables (24.2 % of the EU’s harvested production in 2021), followed by Italy (20.6 %); none of the remaining EU Member States recorded double-digit shares.
The production of some fresh vegetables is concentrated in a few EU Member States. For example, Italy accounted for more than one-third (37.1 %) of the EU’s harvested production of tomatoes in 2021, while Spain (26.6 %) had the next highest share. The Netherlands (27.1 % of the EU’s harvested production) and Spain (20.7 %) were the principal producers of onions, while Germany (18.2 % of the EU total) had the highest share of the harvested production of
carrots.
The EU produces a wide range of fruit, berries, and nuts. A total of
24.9 million tonnes were harvested in 2021 (excluding citrus fruit and grapes), of which 14.4 million tonnes were pome fruit (apples and pears), 6.0 million were stone fruit (such as peaches, nectarines,
apricots, cherries, and plums), 2.6 million tonnes were sub-tropical and tropical fruit (such as figs, kiwis, avocadoes and bananas), 1.2 million tonnes were nuts, and 0.7 million tonnes were berries (other than strawberries). In 2021, Poland (19.7 %), Italy (19.3 %), and Spain (17.8 %) were the leading producers of fruit, berries, and nuts in the EU. For some specific fruits, other EU Member States were key producers.
In addition, 11.5 million tonnes of citrus fruit (such as oranges, satsumas, and lemons) were harvested in 2021.
For climatic reasons – abundant sunshine and warmth without sub-zero temperatures – Spain is the leading citrus fruit producer in the EU: fruit orchards are primarily in eastern and southern regions. In 2021, Spain accounted for nearly three-fifths (58.4 %) of all citrus
fruit production in the EU, including a majority of each major type of citrus fruit.
Click here for the full report on Key figures on the European food chain.