Spanish tomato exports have been falling over the past four years, both in terms of volume and value, despite the fact that the price has been increasing year after year, according to data from the statistics service Estacom (Icex-Agencia Tributaria), under Code 0702 of the Tariff Integrated of the European Communities (TARIC).
In 2013, the volume of tomatoes exported by Spain reached 1,026.75 million kilos; this figure has been falling year after year down to the 907.61 million kilos of tomatoes exported in 2016; a reduction of 11.6 percent .
The total export value of this vegetable has also fallen, going from 1,012.42 million Euro in 2013 to 959.52 million in 2016, despite the fact that the price has been rising every year, from an average of 0.986 Euro per kilo in 2013 to 1.057 Euro per kilo in 2016.
The number of companies exporting tomatoes has also fallen, from 643 in 2013 to 621 in 2016.
In the main market for Spanish tomatoes, which is the European Union (EU), Spain has reduced its sales by 15.12%, while Morocco has increased its own by 7.67 percent; however, the main factor is that tomato consumption in Europe has fallen by 13.43 percent between 2013 and 2016, which has also resulted in the Netherlands (the EU's largest supplier) reducing its sales to other Member States by 14.06 percent.
Countries
Of the five largest customers for Spanish tomatoes, only Germany has increased its purchases over the last four years. In 2016, it imported 239.18 million kilos of Spanish tomatoes, compared to 211.69 in 2013; an increase of 12.9 percent. Germany, the main importer of Spanish tomatoes, absorbed 26.35 percent of Spain's exports. The total value of tomato sales to Germany in 2016 reached 290.57 million Euro, with an average price of 1.215 Euro per kilo; the highest of the five main customers. A total of 224 Spanish companies exported tomatoes to Germany.
The United Kingdom consolidated its second position after pushing France to the third place in the ranking last year. In 2016, it bought a total of 138.37 million kilos of tomatoes worth 138.03 million Euro at an average price of 0.998 Euro per kilo. A total of 154 companies sold tomatoes to the United Kingdom in 2016.
Over the last two years, France has stood in third place in the ranking of main customers of Spanish tomatoes. Last year it bought a total of 129.53 million kilos, for which it paid 120.16 million Euro at an average price of 0.928 Euro per kilo. A total of 295 companies carried out these sales, the highest number of firms selling tomatoes to any country.
The fourth position corresponds to the Netherlands, which in 2016 bought 112.67 million kilos of tomatoes worth 112.16 million Euro, paying an average price of 0.995 Euro per kilo. A total of 188 Spanish companies sold tomatoes to the Netherlands last year.
The fifth largest customer of Spanish tomatoes was Poland, which bought 62.7 million kilos for 55.64 million Euro, at an average price of 0.887 Euro per kilo. Sales of Spanish tomatoes to Poland were carried out by 140 companies.
The decade
Nevertheless, if we take a look at exports over the last ten years, the export of tomatoes increased by 2.64% in 2016 compared to the volume exported in 2007, when this figure stood at 884.24 million kilos
With some slight fluctuations, Spanish tomato exports continued to grow from 2007 to 2013, although from 2013 and 2016 there has been a steady decline.
