nd vegetable exports to non-EU destinations reached 791,393 tonnes, according to November's data, which represents a 4% increase compared to the same period in 2012, while exports to the EU grew by around 7%, with a total of 9.6 million tonnes. This, according to FEPEX, demonstrates that the EU is still the main market for the Spanish agricultural sector and continues to bring better results than non-EU destinations.Outside the EU, the main markets are still those in the European continent, mainly Russia, Norway and Switzerland. It is worth noting how Spanish exports to Russia, which had been in a growing trend in recent years, have dropped by around 9% in 2013, mainly as a result of fiercer competition from Turkey.
Of the 791,393 tonnes exported outside the EU, 488,692 were shipped to destinations within the European continent and 302,701 tonnes to non-European countries.
For FEPEX, this data reflect the difficulties that producers experience to access new markets, and that the protectionist barriers enforced by most non-EU countries are still effective.
