Economie. Fruit and vegetable companies recorded record exports in 2020 after rising by 6.4%.

In this way, the sector’s sales volume abroad has been associated with six consecutive years of growth, during which time it increased by nearly 40%.

Fruit exports increased 7.6% last year, to 8,594 million euros, while foreign sales of vegetables increased 4.7% to 5,922 million euros.

The European Union remains the main destination for Spanish exports, collecting 92% and 93% of sales of fruits and vegetables abroad, respectively. Germany, France and the United Kingdom are the main destination countries in both sectors.

For its part, fruit and vegetable imports increased by 6.6% to 2,924 million euros. Morocco stands out as the main country of origin for imports, accounting for 20% of all imported fruits and 49% of vegetables.

The value of fruit and vegetable production exceeded an estimated 20.000 million euros in 2020, registering a growth of 5.6% compared to the previous year, driven by increased demand and the consequent rise in prices due to the pandemic, which led to an increase in the consumption of fresh food in homes, especially in months. Confinement.

In this sector, a large number of small and medium-sized producers have been identified, although the increasing trend towards integration and association in producer and marketer organizations has begun to be appreciated, while in the field of specialized wholesale there is a greater degree of focus.

In this way, the total gross sales of the 20 major operators exceeded 5,100 million euros in 2019, while the first 30 billing companies are already nearly 6,500 million euros.