Spanish tomato sales to the European Union (EU) have fallen for the third year in a row, while those made by competing countries, such as Morocco and Turkey, continue to grow.
This has been revealed by data processed by Hortoinfo and supplied by the Euroestacom statistical service (Icex-Eurostat), with codes of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC).
Between 2016, when Spanish sales totaled 808.13 million kilos, and 2018, when the volume stood at 728.74 million kilos, there has been a 9.82% drop. The reduction has been even greater if we go back to 2008 (-15.61%). Back then, sales totaled 863.53 million kilos.
Meanwhile, Morocco has increased its sales to the EU by 46.9%, going from 305.96 million kilos in 2008 to 449.47 million kilos in 2018. For its part, Turkey has increased its exports to EU countries by 8.43% since 2008, going from 99.42 million kilos to 107.8 million kilos last year.
Overall, the EU's total tomato purchases fell by 2.87 percent in 2018, from 3,043.04 million kilos in 2017 down to 2,955.67 million kilos last year.
The average price at which the EU bought imported tomatoes has also been reduced, from 1.402 Euro per kilo in 2017 down to 1.293 Euro per kilo last year (-7,77%).
The lower volume and lower price logically entail a reduction of the investment made by the EU's members in the purchase of tomatoes. That figure has fallen from 4,267.65 million Euro in 2017 to 3,821.73 million Euro in 2018, which translates into a 10.45 percent drop.
