According to data provided by Murcia's Council of Agriculture, the Region's celery harvest volumes in 2013 reached 42,000 tonnes; 5.8% more than in the previous campaign. This puts an end to the downward trend observed since 2009.
The general director of Industria Agroalimentaria y Capacitación Agraria (Agri-food Industry and Agricultural Training), Ángel García Lidón, pointed out that "Murcia is the country's largest celery producer, with 61% of the domestic total, followed at a considerable distance by the Region of Valencia (23%), Catalonia (8%) and Andalusia (6%).
Spain is the European Union's second largest celery producer, with 25% of the total, only behind Italy (31%). The third place in the ranking is for the United Kingdom, with 19%. Murcia's produce represents around 15% of the EU's entire celery production.
García Lidón stressed that "the value of Murcia's celery exports in 2013 reached almost 41.9 million Euro, which is approximately 11% more than in 2012 and entails a 53% growth over the past ten years. Last year, the Region exported a total of 65,200 tonnes, while Spain as a whole shipped 87,700 tonnes.
Over the past ten years, Murcia has increased its export volumes by around 48%, reaching 29 countries. The main destinations were the United Kingdom (52%), the Netherlands (14%), Germany (11%) and France (8%). Exports also go to other European countries and to the Arabian Peninsula.
Acreage
In 2013, Murcia had the largest acreage for celery cultivation in Spain, representing 48% of the country's 1,483 hectares. It was followed by Catalonia (21%), Valencia (16%) and Andalusia (11%).
The Region's acreage grew by around 2% in 2013 compared to the previous year, reaching 707 hectares.
