Industry body Fepex again highlights a growing reliance on third-country suppliers, led by Morocco, Peru and Costa Rica
Spanish fruit and vegetable imports totalled 2.5mn tonnes in volume and €3.086bn in value in the first half of 2026 (H1), rising 6.8 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively year-on-year.
Statistics covering the last five years show that Spain has a growing reliance on fruit and vegetables from third countries, with these now representing 54 per cent of import volume and more than 72 per cent of import value.
During this period, non-EU suppliers consolidated their leading position, industry body Fepex pointed out.
Countries outside the EU supplied 1.4mn tonnes between January and June 2026, 7 per cent more than in the same period the previous year, while value also rose 7 per cent to €2.23bn.
Morocco remains the leading supplier by value, with imports totalling €950mn in the first half, a 6 per cent increase compared to the same period of 2025.
In terms of volume, imports from Morocco stood at 351,118 tonnes, down 7 per cent on the previous year.
Other key suppliers include Peru (€289mn in value and 150,622 tonnes in volume) and Costa Rica (€182mn and 224,725 tonnes) – the latter being the leading non-EU supplier by volume after Morocco.
Other major third-country sources include Brazil (€121mn and 97,484 tonnes), Chile (€107mn and 58,313 tonnes) and Egypt, which exceeded 107,000 tonnes and reached a value of €60mn.
When it comes to imports from member states, the EU accounts for 46 per cent of the volume purchased by Spain, hitting 1.18mn tonnes in the first half of 2026, growth of 7 per cent.
However, value fell by 2.6 per cent to €856mn, Fepex noted.
The EU’s share of Spain’s fresh produce imports stood at 46 per cent of the total volume and 28 per cent of the value in the opening six months of the year.
France strengthened its position as the primary EU source of Spanish imports with 657,918 tonnes, more than half the volume imported from all member states, while the value of those imports was €211.5mn.
This was followed by the Netherlands, with 149,003 tonnes in volume and €142.6mn in value, and Portugal, with 138,094 tonnes and €194.3mn.
Italy also stood out, with nearly 100,000 tonnes exported to Spain at a value of €135.8mn.
”With more than 72 per cent of the import value now originating from non-EU countries, the growing role of non-EU suppliers in supplying the Spanish market is confirmed,” Fepex outlined.
“For Fepex, this trend reinforces the need for European Union trade policy to preserve the competitiveness of the EU’s producing sector and effectively incorporate the principle of reciprocity into agreements with third countries.”
