Almeria leads the horticultural exports of Andalusia in 2020 and Mayorazgo Export contributes to it

Andalusia broke the record for exports of fruit and vegetables in 2020, with 6,026 million euros and a growth of 3.5% and remains the leader in sales of Spain, with almost two out of every five euros exported by Spain, in a sector in which 61% of exporters sell regularly.

Almeria, where Mayorazgo Export is located, leads the horticultural exports of Andalusia, with half of the sales (51%), which represent 3,090 million, thanks to a year-on-year growth of 4.7%.

The second province exporting fruits and vegetables was Huelva, with 1,259 million, 20.9% and a decrease of 2.8%; followed by Malaga, with 512 million, 8.5% and an increase of 10.1% compared to 2019, the second province in growth; Granada, with 439 million (7.3%), an increase of 3.2%; Seville, with 389 million (6.4%) and a rise of 9.3%; Cádiz, with 173 million (2.9%), which increased its sales by 1%; Córdoba, with 4.5% more to 153 million, 2.5% of the total; and Jaén with 11.4 million euros and the highest growth with an increase of 17.9%.

Europe is the main market but not the only one

In 2020, the three main markets of the Andalusian fruit and vegetable sector abroad will grow, all of them European. The first foreign destination is Germany, with 1,756 million, 29.1% of the total and an advance of 6.8% compared to 2019; followed by France, with 992 million, 16.5% and a rise of 3.2%; from the United Kingdom, with 860 million, 14.3% and an increase of 11.4%; The Netherlands, with 621 million, 10.3% and a decrease of 1.4%; and Italy, with 302 million, 5%, with a decrease of -5.7%.
Its sixth international market is Poland, with 232 million (3.9%) and a minimum decrease of 0.1% compared to the previous year; followed by Portugal, with 184 million (3%) and a slight decrease of -0.5%. In eighth position is Belgium, with 153 million (2.5%) and a rise of 3.1%; followed by Switzerland, with 133 million (2.2%) and a rise of 44%, the country in the top ten with the highest percentage of growth; and Sweden, with 122 million (2%) and an increase of 0.4%.

Likewise, among the first thirty destinations for Andalusian fruit and vegetables, the growth of other European countries such as Slovakia, which is already the eighteenth market, with 26.1 million in sales and an increase of 20.6%, or Norway that it has moved to 20th place (21.8 million) with an increase of 21.9%.

These data are derived from the figures of the Foreign Trade Statistics of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism prepared for Andalusia by the Observatory for the Internationalization of the Andalusian Economy of Extenda-Andalusia Exportation and Foreign Investment, a public company of the Ministry of the Presidency, Public Administration and Interior.

New fruit and vegetable export record

Andalusia reached a new record for fruit and vegetable exports in 2020, with 6,026 million euros in sales abroad, its historical maximum for a year since there are comparable records (1995), thanks to a growth of 3.5% compared to 2019 data.

With this, the community reinforces its leadership in Spanish fruit and vegetable exports, with almost two out of every five euros (37%) of national sales, which reached 16,459 euros, well ahead of the following, Community Valenciana (26.4%) and Murcia (18.5%), according to Extenda data.

The protagonists of this new record have been the 1,192 exporters of the sector, such as Mayorazgo Export, 1.4% more than those of 2019, of which 725 are regular exporters (more than four years exporting), which account for 94% of total sales , in a sector fully consolidated abroad, as evidenced by the fact that 61% of exporters maintain their activity abroad on a regular basis.

Andalusia’s leadership has its main strength in the province of Almería, since in 2020 it accounted for 51% of total Andalusian exports, up to 3,090 million euros, which also represents 18.8% of the national total.

Peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers led exports in 2020

By products, in 2020 peppers led sales, with 825 million, 13.7% of the total, and an increase of 2.1%; followed by tomatoes, with 689 million (11.4%) and a minimum decrease of -0.4%; and cucumbers, with 534 million (8.9%), whose sales grew by 5.7%.

In fourth place are strawberries, with 477 million, 7.9% of the total, and a decrease of 0.9%; followed by dates, figs and pineapples, with 423 million (7%) and a rise of 10.8%, the second best among the first ten chapters; raspberries and blackberries, with 404 million (6.7%) and a decrease of 6.4%; and pumpkins and courgettes, with 353 million in exports (5.9% of the total) and an increase of 19.9%, registering the best growth of the top 10.

Next are citrus fruits, with 350 million (5.8%) and a rise of 5.7%; followed by blueberries, with 326 million (5.4%), which rose by 11.4%; and melons and watermelons and papayas with 315 million (5.2%), with a notable improvement of 10.4%, with the third rise among the top ten products.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the growth in sales of garlic and onions, the highest of the top twenty (+ 32%) with 167 million euros in exports; as well as that of apricots (+ 17.4%), with 103 million; and carrots, turnips and beets (+ 15.6%), with 77 million in exports.

The international power of Andalusian fruit and vegetables exports

The international power of Andalusian fruit and vegetables, which once again achieve record figures conquering foreign markets thanks to a solid commitment to quality and innovation, and guaranteeing, with high dose of responsibility, supply, especially in Europe.

In times like these, which require the maximum effort from each one of us, the community’s fruit and vegetable sector has demonstrated commendable leadership that we can replicate in the rest of Andalusian productive sectors. 

In addition, Extenda-Andalusia Exportation and Foreign Investment, highlighted the revealing contribution made by the sector to the Andalusian trade balance, to which it contributes a surplus of 5,012 million, which is also a historical record, and with a coverage rate of 594%, 241 points higher than the Spanish one, which means that the horticultural exports of Andalusia multiply by six the imports, despite the fact that these grow by 7.6% to 1,014 million.