Cristina Hodgson
ANDALUCIA has broken a new record in fruit and vegetable sales abroad, with €6,026 exported during 2020.
This is an all-time high since there are comparable records (1995) and entails a 3.5% growth compared to 2019 data.
With this, the region strengthens its leadership in Spanish fruit and vegetable exports, accounting for more than 2 out of every 5 Euro in national sales (37%), well ahead of the Region of Valencia (26.4%) and Murcia (18.5 %).
Almeria leads Andalucia’s fruit and vegetable exports, the province supplies 51% of Spain’s total fruit and vegetable sales to overseas markets, amounting to €3,090 million, thanks to a year-on-year growth of 4.7%.
A sharp rise in cucumber and tomato sales helped lift horticultural exports from Almeria to set new records in 2020.
Andalucia’s top 12 most exported products is topped by peppers, with 825 million; 13.7% of the total; followed by tomatoes, with 689 million (11.4%); and cucumbers, with 534 million (8.9%), whose sales grew by 5.7%.
In fourth place were strawberries, with 477 million, 7.9% of the total, followed by dates, figs and pineapples, with 423 million (7%); raspberries, blackberries and blackberries, with 404 million (6.7%) and pumpkins and courgettes, with 353 million in exports (5.9% of the total).
The most important foreign destination for Andalucian fruit and vegetables is Germany, with 629 million; 28.7% of the total and an increase of 11.9%; followed by the United Kingdom, with 329 million, 15% and an increase of 11.7%.
Following the publication of Andalucia’s all-time high in fruit and vegetable exports, Arturo Bernal, CEO of Extenda (the Trade Promotion Agency of Andalucia) highlighted the ‘international power of Andalucian fruit and vegetables.’
“Andalucian fruit and vegetables are once again achieving record figures by conquering foreign markets thanks to a solid commitment to quality and innovation” he said.
