Spain: 60% of fresh fruit imported from non-EU countries

59% of fresh fruit imports to Spain came from non-EU countries, a total of 687,947 tons compared the 476,491 tons coming from EU countries. This is according to Border control statistics, processed by the Spanish Federation of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables (Fepex). The organization says that total imports reached 920 million Euro, from which 546 correspond to third party countries.

Costa Rica is Spain's the main fruit supplier from outside the EU, with 110,673 tons in 2011, from which 68,000 correspond to pineapple and almost 39,000 to banana, one of the main imported products.

The following is Argentina, with 84,701 tons, mainly of citrus, and Brazil, with 78,895 tons, half of which is melon.

Ecuador and Chile take fourth and fifth places, with 78,079 and 64,378 tons, respectively.

Banana was the main import from Ecuador, with 53,971 tons, while apple and kiwi were the main Chilean fruits bought by Spain, with 20,788 and 16,162 tons in each case.

New Zealand ends the list of main non-EU suppliers of fruits to Spain, with 42,361 tons, from which more than 39,000 are of kiwi.

Although, Fepex points that in general terms, France and Italy were the main fruit suppliers for Spain, in front of the above mentioned non-EU countries.

Source: Fepex