A total of 563 million tons of goods went through Spanish publicly owned ports in 2018, out of which 11.5 million corresponded to fruits, vegetables and legumes. During the first seven months of 2019, the volume of fresh produce already stood at 7.2 million tons. These figures are possible thanks to the country's strategic geographical location, which have allowed it not only to become the largest exporter in Europe, but also the "gateway" for fruits imported from third countries.
The existence of an extensive network of reefer connections in the port terminals, as well as refrigeration storage companies, both in the ports and in the associated logistics areas, also makes a decisive contribution. The main association of the refrigeration sector, Aldefe, has reported that its associates handled 3.5 million tons, using over 87% of the more than 3 million m³ available. The sector had a turnover of more than € 138 million and employed more than 1,500 people in 2018.
The growth in the volume handled by the ports has a lot to do with the boost given to the maritime lines connecting Spain with other European countries, which account for about 93% of Spanish exports, as well as with African countries bordering the Mediterranean, which is in turn giving a boost to intermodality.
Also, the latest report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said that Spain is Europe's number one exporter of fruits and vegetables. According to the latest data released by the Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Exporting Producers (FEPEX), the value of Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports totaled 12,704 million Euro in 2017; an increase of 1% compared to the previous year. 93% of those shipments were intended for countries within the European Union.
Spanish ports are present at the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid with a huge range of products and services for the fresh fruit and vegetable market. 15 port authorities (Bahía de Algeciras, Bahía de Cádiz, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ferrol-San Cibrao, Huelva, Las Palmas, Málaga, Marín and Ría de Pontevedra, Motril, Sevilla, Tarragona, Valencia and Vigo) are present at the “Ports of Spain” stand under the slogan “Connecting the world to the fresh food”. Fruit Logistica represents an excellent opportunity to get in touch with the market's largest suppliers and retain the leading position in the import / export of fruits, legumes and vegetables worldwide.
