The country’s fresh fruit and vegetable exports dropped 3 per cent during the opening four months of 2026, with citrus driving the decline
Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable exports fell 3 per cent during the opening four months of 2026, coming in at 4.47mn tonnes.
Fruit exports fell by 4 per cent, Fepex reported, and vegetable exports by 2 per cent, while the value of the entire fresh produce category grew by 5 per cent to €8.114bn.
Vegetable export volumes for the January-April period stood at just under 2.46mmn tonnes, down 2.2 per cent year-on-year.
The leading vegetables by export volume were lettuce (405,486 tonnes, up 1.2 per cent), peppers (363,240 tonnes, down 1.9 per cent), cucumbers (325,376 tonnes, up 1.8 per cent), tomatoes (304,311 tonnes, down 4.5 per cent), and cabbages (296,882 tonnes, down 4.5 per cent).
Among vegetables, those showing the largest declines included courgette (down 9 per cent to 178,349 tonnes), tomatoes and cabbages.
Fruit exports totalled 2mn tonnes, representing a 4.1 per cent decrease compared to the 2.1mn tonnes exported in the first four months of 2025.
This drop was primarily driven by a decline in citrus, which accounts for the largest share of total exports – specifically oranges and mandarins, Fepex outlined.
While oranges stood as the leading fruit export by volume, totalling 638,046 tonnes, this marked an 8.9 per cent decrease on the same period of the previous year.
Mandarins followed with 459,931 tonnes, also recording an 8.8 per cent drop, although lemon exports climbed 3.8 per cent to 258,843 tonnes.
Strawberry exports stood at 193,392 tonnes (down 2.9 per cent), while avocado exports increased by 5.1 per cent to 75,544 tonnes.
Fruits showing the largest volume declines include oranges (down 62,292 tonnes), mandarins (down 44,443 tonnes), blueberries (down 16.8 per cent to 38,807 tonnes), strawberries (down 5,744 tonnes), and watermelons (down 11.5 per cent to 40,087 tonnes).
In terms of value, the country’s fresh produce exports maintained a positive trend, rising 5.3 per cent to €8.114bn.
The value of vegetable exports totalled €4.428bn, an 8.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
The vegetables with the highest export value were peppers (€948mn, up 5.6 per cent), tomatoes (€643mn, up 8.4 per cent), cucumbers (€603mn, up 19.8 per cent), lettuce (€553mn, up 3.9 per cent), and cabbages (€468mn, remaining stable).
For the fruit segment, export value reached €3.69bn, up 1.4 per cent on the opening four months of 2025.
This growth was more moderate than that of vegetables and was influenced by a decline in the export value of several key fruits, such as oranges, mandarins, strawberries, and blueberries, Fepex explained.
By product, mandarins generated the highest export value at €699mn, despite a 1.9 per cent drop year-on-year.
They were followed by strawberries (€675.7mn, down 3.4 per cent), oranges (€618.5mn, down 4.4 per cent), lemons (€398.5mn, growth of 29 per cent) and blueberries (€336.2mn, down 4.2 per cent).
The data was drawn from the Department of Customs and Excise Duties and processed by Fepex, having been released via the Monthly Foreign Trade Report prepared by the secretary of state for trade.
