Spanish fruit and vegetable exports in April this year increased by 4 % in volume and 3 % in value compared with the same month of 2013, totalling 1 million tonnes and 987 million Euro respectively, according to the Department of Customs and Special Taxes of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
Vegetables grew by 6 % in April compared with the same month of 2013, reaching 514,192 tonnes, while the value fell by 4 %, down to 445.3 million Euro. The average price dropped by 9.5 %, from an average of € 0.96 per kilo to 0.87 Euro per kilo.
Lettuce was the most exported vegetable this month, with 101,185 tonnes (+6.6 %), followed by tomato, with 99,297 tonnes (12.5 % less). The export value of lettuce amounted to 74.4 million Euro (-10 %) and that of tomatoes fell by 11 %, down to 102 million Euro.
As for fruits, overseas shipments totalled 523,817 tonnes in April (+1.7 %) with a value of 541.6 million Euro (+9 %), with orange and strawberry being the most exported fruits.
In the entire period between January and April 2014, Spanish horticultural exports grew compared to the first quarter of 2013, by 1.2 % in volume and 1.7 % in value, totalling 4.5 million tonnes and 4,159 million Euro, respectively.
The export of vegetables in the first quarter of 2014 amounted to 2.3 million tonnes (+11.5 %) worth 2,171 million Euro (+4.7 %). Fruit exports stood at 2.1 million tonnes (-8 %) worth 1,988 million Euro (-1.4 %), according to the Department of Customs and Special Taxes.
