Influenced by the climate and the competitive disadvantage against third countries, Spain is seeing a drop in fruit and vegetable exports, coupled with growing imports. Although agri-food exports as a whole set a new record in the first quarter of 2023, so did imports, mainly in some products in which Spain is a leading exporter, such as fruit and vegetables. Trade figures for the first half of 2023 have just been published, showing a sharp increase in imports of fresh fruit and vegetables.
According to agroberichtenbuitenland.nl, exports of fresh fruit and vegetables fell by 7.89% in volume, reaching nearly 6.3 million tons in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, the value of these exports grew by 7% due to the effect of inflation, to almost €10 billion. In the same period, fruit and vegetable imports amounted to 2.2 million tons, an increase of 14.09%, generating a value of €2.4 million, which means a growth of 23.78%.
The decline in export volume is observed in both vegetables and fruit, being more marked in the latter. In the reference period, the value of exported vegetables rose by 13.62%, while that of fruit rose by only 1.31%, despite the strong increase observed in some products, such as melon and watermelon.
Taking all of this into account, more and more voices in Spain’s agri sector are asking whether the emerging economies of the BRIC group could be an alternative for Spain to maintain (and increase) its level of exports. Brazil for instance, is one of the main third country destinations for Spanish exports of fresh fruit and vegetables, although the trend is downwards. In the first half of 2023, exports stood at 14,449 tons, 13% less than in the same period of 2022. On the other hand, imports have grown by 8%, reaching 71,084 tons.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
