Positive behaviour of the Spanish export of fruit and vegetables in 2013
25 February 2014
The Spanish export of fruit and cool vegetables in 2013 grew 11% in value in regard to 2012, totalizando 10.682 million euros and 7% in volume, with 11,8 million tonnes, according to data of the Department of Customs and Special Taxles of the Ministry of Economy made public this week, what reflects a positive evolution of the export, because of the good behaviour of the community market, as
The export of vegetables increased 11% in value and 10% in volume, totalizando 4.331 million euros and 4,6 million tonnes. The main vegetables exported have been tomato with 988 million euros (+7%), pepper with 718 million euros (+18%), lettuce with 568 million euros (-3,5%), and cucumber with 464 million tonnes (+8%). In fruit, the export in 2013 totalizó 6.351 million euros (+11%) and 7,1 million tonnes (+4,5%), standing out the growths of the fruit of bone and red fruit. The export of nectarine increased 22% totalizando 429 million euros and the one of peach 14% totalizando 331 million euros. In red fruit stood out the growth of raspberry and cranberry with 31% and 32% more, situating in 146 and 111 million euros respectively.
Valencian community, Andalucia and Murcia are the main autonomous communities exporting. The export of the Valencian Community situated in 4,4 million tonnes, 6% more than in 2012 and 3.664 million euros, 11% more. Andalucia exported 3,2 million tonnes (+7%), by a value of 3.508 million euros (+8%) and Murcia exported 2,3 million tonnes (+8%), by a value of 2.095 million euros (+16%).
The EU represented in 2013 92% of the total exported by Spain, with 10,9 million tonnes, registering a growth of 7% in regard to 2012, whereas out of the EU exported 911.993 tonnes (+3%). Inside the non-EU countries, the greater volume corresponds to European countries, with an export of 555.126 tonnes, 3% more than in 2012, with high growths in countries like Norway (+10%) and with a remarkable descent of the exports to Russia, that fell 10%, had to largely to the strong competition of Turkey. The export to non-EU countries no European totalizó 356.867 tonnes, with a growth of 3%. These data reflect, according to Fepex, that the opening politics of new markets that had posed like main aim for the year 2013 is not giving the planned results.
For Fepex, the volume of export, very upper to the national demand, puts in evidence the contribution of the sector to the maintenance of the productive activity and his strategic character for the agriculture. Nevertheless, they exist shadows on his future that, in general, are tied to the fault of adecuación of the politics to the maintenance of the productive activity and of the employment. In the national field, the application of the diet of direct payments of the new PAC, excluding to the generality of the sector of fruit and vegetables in fresco, will cause discriminations between the producers that in Spain realizar the same crops and competitive disadvantages with other community producers that if they are integrated in his majority in the diet of direct payments. In commercial politics, requires an effective political backrest by part of the European Commission in the opening negotiations of new markets, taking into account that the EU is the world-wide importing elder of fruit and vegetables, what means that it is a practically open market, without that the community productions can access to other markets in the same conditions.