According to data updated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, in October the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables in Spanish households increased by 11% over the same month of last year, totaling 726 million kilos. This increase has coincided with the return to movement restrictions and partial confinements that most of Spain has suffered due to COVID after the summer, FEPEX highlighted.
The consumption of fresh fruits in October grew by 12% and totaled 379 million kilos. The consumption of almost all fruits grew. The most outstanding growth took place in the consumption of citrus fruits, such as mandarin (+ 31%) and lemons (+ 30%), table grape (+ 30%), melon (+ 21%), banana (+ 13%), and apple (+15 %).
Meanwhile, vegetable consumption increased by 8% to 251 million kilos, with increases in almost all vegetables, with cabbages (+ 37%), onions (+ 20%), and green peppers (+ 15%) standing out. The households' demand for potatoes grew by 20%, totaling 96 million kilos.
The households' accumulated demand for fruits and vegetables from January to October 2020 stood at 7,310 million kilos, 11% more than in the same period in 2019; 3,924 million kilos of which corresponded to fruit (+ 10%), 2.494 million kilos corresponded to vegetables (+ 12%), and 892 million kilos to potatoes (+ 17%).
According to data from the MAPA Food Consumption Panel, in the first ten months of 2020 consumers spent 12,351 million euro (+ 20%) purchasing fruits and vegetables. 6,704 million euro corresponded to fruit purchases (+ 23%), 4,839 million euro to vegetable purchases (+ 16.5%), and 808 million euros to potato purchases (+ 17%).
According to FEPEX, the Spanish Federation of the Unions of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, and Live Plants, the total or partial confinement in homes in 2020 has been the driving force behind the strong growth in the households' demand for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Source: fepex.es
