In 2022, Spain will have exported slightly more than 12 million tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, i.e. 8 to 10% less than in 2021, according to estimates made by FEPEX, based on data from the Department of Customs and Excise until October and a forecast for the months of November and December.
"This decrease is primarily due to this year's unfavorable weather conditions, such as the frost in spring, which caused a sharp decrease in the stone fruit harvest, especially in Aragon and Catalonia, or the incessant rain in April and May in important horticultural regions such as Murcia, which experienced the wettest spring in 62 years. In addition, the country's agricultural production was also affected by the summer heat waves, which affected Andalusian fruit and vegetable production. That is why Fepex is asking for specific measures that enable investments to cope with increasingly frequent extreme climate conditions," Fepex stated.
"The value of exports will improve in 2022 by 3% over the previous year, exceeding 16.2 billion euro. However, this growth doesn't compensate for the increase in costs. It's one of the factors that, together with the increasing competition from third countries, have marked the year the most."
"Up to and including October of this year, imports have increased by 7% in volume and 14% in value. This is partly because imports are not subject to the same cultivation and marketing standards as European productions. The EU model is in other words, less and less competitive compared to third countries. Moreover, the increasing globalization of the EU market is not accompanied by a real opening of new markets for Community producers."
"These same issues will continue to mark the evolution of the sector in 2023, along with other challenges such as consumption falling back to pre-pandemic levels, uncertainty surrounding water availability in key growing areas, or regulatory changes related to the "Farm to Table" strategy, such as the draft regulation on the use of plant protection products. There are also concerns at the national level about the impact on the competitiveness of over-regulation of productive and commercial activities because of regulatory package derived mainly from the new agricultural policy and the ecological transition process that will come into effect in 2023."
For more information:
FEPEX
www.fepex.es