Growth in fruit segment helped drive overall Spanish fresh produce exports upwards in September

Spanish fruit and vegetable exports climbed 13.5 per cent in September compared with the same month last year, according to new data from the Department of Customs and Special Taxes of the Tax Agency, processed by Fepex.

Watermelons with wooden crates

Total fresh produce exports came in at 595,767 tonnes, breaking the trend of declining export volume seen in previous months, Fepex noted.

Fruit and vegetable exports also grew in value, by 5 per cent, reaching €764.8m.

Fruit exports jumped 25.5 per cent when compared with September 2022, coming in at 379,710 tonnes, with a value of €498.8m, up 11 per cent.

Notable volume increases were seen in watermelons (up 109 per cent), nectarines (up 55 per cent) and melons (up 26.5 per cent).

In the vegetable segment, exports stood at 216,057 tonnes, a drop of 3 per cent, while value dropped 4 per cent to €266.4m.

Exports during the January-September period of 2023 were down on the previous year by 6.5 per cent, standing at 8.2m tonnes, while value for the nine months rose 6.4 per cent year on year to €12.46bn.