Fresh fruit and vegetable trade between the 27 EU Member States remains stable, according to the latest data updated by the EU Statistical Office, Eurostat.
In the first half of 2021, it totaled 21.3 million tons and 22.6 million euro, i.e. 1% less volume and 2% more value than in the same period of the previous year.
There were no significant changes among the main exporting countries in the period analyzed. Spain, the Netherlands, and France occupied the three main positions, followed by Belgium, Italy, and Germany. In addition, Poland had outstanding growth.
Between January and June, Spain exported 6.8 million tons of fruits and vegetables to the remaining 26 Member States, excluding the United Kingdom, i.e. the same amount as in the first half of 2020. The Netherlands exported 5 million tons of fruits and vegetables to the EU, the same amount as in 2020; However, France registered a 5% decrease in its shipments to the EU, totaling 2.1 million tons.
Spanish exports to the EU in the analyzed period amounted to 8,450 million euro (+ 4%), export from the Netherlands stood at 6,393 million euro (+ 1%), and French exports totaled 1,318 million euro (-3%).
Belgium, Italy, and Germany are also prominent exporters of fruit and vegetables to other EU members, with volumes exceeding one million tons. In the first six months of 2021, Belgium sold a total of 1.7 million tons of fruit and vegetables to the different EU countries, i.e. 17% less than in the first half of 2020. Meanwhile, Italian sold 1.5 million tons (+6%) and Germany sold 1.3 million tons (+ 1%).
Belgium fruit and vegetable sales to the EU amounted to 1,355 million euro (-7%), while Italian sales totaled 1,925 million euro (+ 9%), and German sales totaled 719,449 euro (-5%), according to Eurostat data processed by Fepex.
Poland exported lower volumes and values than the aforementioned countries but recorded notable growth in its exports to the EU in the first six months of 2021, both in volume and value, totaling 637,604 tons and 500 million euro, i.e. 14% and 4% more, respectively, than in the same period of the previous year.
Source: fepex.es