Strawberry exports have increased by 30.3% since the 2006/2007 campaign, from 183,000 tonnes then to 262,377 tonnes last season (2011/2012) between January and June, which is the harvest period for strawberries in the Spanish province of Huelva.
This increase in exports is also due to the increase in harvested volumes. Since the 2006/07 campaign, strawberry volumes harvested in the province have grown by 18.68%, from 254,968 tonnes to the current 302,600 this campaign. During the first half of the year, exports reached their peak in April, with 36.2% of the total (88,226 tonnes).
In economic terms, this increase in exported volumes has also brought a rise in their value. More specifically, the strawberries exported from January to May 2012 generated 452.2 million Euro, with March being the strongest month (154.4 million). In the case of raspberries, exports during those five months amounted to 67.3 million Euro, with April being the most important period (17.3 million).
Red fruit firms are working each season to consolidate their ties with international clients. Europe remains the largest consumer of Huelva's berries. In the 2011/12 campaign, Germany was the largest importer of strawberries from Huelva receiving 33.91% of all exports, closely followed by France (27.06%). Other destinations include Italy (9.42%) and the UK (7.80%).
In the case of raspberries, the UK received 33.64% of the total, followed by France (17.70%) and Germany (21.87%). Huelva produces 80-90% of all Spanish red fruits, which makes it also the main exporter, being the only place where blueberries are grown in micro-tunnels.
Around 50% of Freshhuelva's partners devote part or the whole of their production to berries, making them Andalusia's fifth most exported product, representing 6.3% of the region's agri-food exports.
Source: Huelva EconomÃa