In the first quarter of 2015, Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports grew by 7.5% in volume and 9.9% in value compared to the same period of 2014, reaching a total of 3,745,274 tonnes worth 3,487 million Euro, with 52% of this value corresponding to vegetables and 48% to fruits, according to the Department of Customs and Special Taxes of the Tax Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
The good performance of vegetable exports is attributable to their recovery in March, with an increase of 8.2% in volume and 14% in value compared to the same month of 2014, which offset declines in February (-3.8%) and January (-2.1%). In the quarter as a whole, volume remained practically stable, with 0.61% growth, and the value increased by 5.37%. By products, it is worth noting the growth of courgettes, with 138 million Euro (+77.7%), of cabbage, with 187 million Euro (+17%), and of lettuce, with 251 million (+4%), while peppers dropped to 323 million (-1.4%) and tomatoes to 412 million (-3%).
Fruit exports grew by 15.28% in volume and 15.34% in value, to a total of 1,892,741 tonnes and 1,668 million Euro. This growth is attributable to citrus fruits, especially oranges, which totalled 455.5 million Euro (+28.5%) and berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and blackberry) with 350 million Euro (+29%).
For FEPEX, the uneven performance by products with similar markets underlines the strong competition from Morocco for some products and the need, on the one hand, to adopt measures to improve competitiveness and demand for these crops, and on the other, for the partnership agreement with that country to be effectively enforced.
