Average prices for Spanish fruit and vegetable exports fell sharply during September, providing the clearest indication yet of the negative affect that the E coli crisis had on the sector.
According to newly-released figures from Spanish fresh produce federation Fepex, the average price for Spanish products dropped by 7 per cent compared with the same period a year before to €0.75 per kilo.
The decrease was most apparent in vegetables, where prices fell on average by 15 per cent, while fruit prices were down by 4 per cent.
Although Spanish fruit and vegetable exports increased in volume terms by 2 per cent during the month to 427,967 tonnes, the fall in prices was reflected in the decrease in the value of those exports, by 5.5 per cent to €320m.
Fepex said the negative results showed how the start of the 2011/12 campaign had been marked by low prices, as a result of three principal factors – the affect of the economic recession on consumption levels, the EU’s mismanagement of the E coli crisis and the ineffectiveness of import price controls.
In a statement, the federation called on the European authorities to take urgent steps to improve both the EU crisis management systems and reform the entry price regime, hinting at previous Spanish complaints over ‘uncontrolled’ Moroccan imports.
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