In 2023, Spain consolidated its position as the world's leading lettuce exporter, selling twice the volume that Mexico (its closest competitor) sold, according to a report by Hortoinfo based on data from COMTRADE, the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division. Spain and Mexico accounted for almost half of the lettuce exported worldwide, i.e. 48.26% of the total. Specifically, Spain exported 778.73 million kilos, i.e. 32.44% of the world total, while Mexico exported 379.77 million kilos.
The United States ranked third with 336.28 million kilos, followed by China with 250.26 million kilos, and the Netherlands with 151.48 million kilos. Spain also led the ranking in terms of revenue with 1,002.28 million euros of the 3,295.74 million euros generated by the global export of lettuce in 2023.
Italy obtained the highest price per kilo of lettuce exported in 2023, with 2.02 euros. It was followed by the Netherlands with 1.85 euros per kilo, Belgium with 1.83 euros per kilo, France with 1.82 euros per kilo, the United States with 1.60 euros per kilo, and Spain ranked sixth with 1.29 euros per kilo.
The main destinations for Spanish lettuce in 2023 were Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Italy. Meanwhile, Mexico sent almost all of its lettuce exports to the United States. Canada was the largest recipient of American lettuce, followed by Mexico. China mainly exported its lettuce to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, and Mongolia. Finally, the main destinations for Dutch lettuce were Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, and Spain.
Source: hortoinfo.es