Catalan fruit sector companies take part in Fruit Logistica with Prodeca

Prodeca is organising the joint participation of Catalan fruit sector companies at Fruit Logistica, held in Berlin from 8 to 10 February 2023. This year, 16 Catalan companies and organisations linked to the fruit sector are taking part on the stand organised by PRODECA – Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda under the agri-food brand "Catalonia, where fruit is culture". 

In line with recent years, the aim is to help companies improve their positioning in foreign markets and establish new trade contacts. Hence the participating Catalan companies present themselves in Berlin as part of one of southern Europe's most important fresh produce distribution markets and an example of quality production and work.

Carmel Mòdol, Secretary for Food at the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, accompanied by PRODECA's managing director Ramon Sentmartí and the Catalan Government Delegate to Germany, Marie Kapretz, will visit the fair on its first day and call on the participating Catalan companies. 

Catalan companies taking part in Fruit Logistica 2023: 

• ABELLA FRUITS – Segrià
• CAL ROGET FRUITS – Segrià 
• CERIMA CHERRIES - Ribera d'Ebre
• COPA FRESH – Pla d'Urgell
• DASBEN – Segrià
• DIEGO MARTÍNEZ – Barcelonès
• FRUITES FONT – Segrià
• FRUITS SANT MIQUEL - LA COMA – Segrià
• GRUPO CATALÀ – Segrià 
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA – FRUCTÍCOLA EMPORDÀ – Baix Empordà
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA – GIRONA FRUITS – Baix Empordà
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA - GIROPOMA – Baix Empordà
• SANDO CLEMENTINE – Baix Ebre
• AFRUCAT
• IRTA
• MERCABARNA - AGEM

Held annually, Fruit Logistica is the international trade fair devoted to fruit and vegetable marketing, regarded as one of the sector's most important events in Europe. The fair brings the entire supply chain together in a single event, providing a global view of the market and of new products and technologies, and offering exhibitors the ideal setting to market their products and build commercial relationships.

Presentation of INTENSIA, a new drought-tolerant almond rootstock from IRTA

On Thursday 9 February at 11am, at the IRTA-Prodeca stand, there will be the international presentation of INTENSIA, a new IRTA almond rootstock for intensive and super-intensive growing, drought-tolerant and water-efficient, presented by Xavier Miarnau, almond specialist researcher in IRTA's fruit growing programme. 

The almond sector has changed in recent years. Until recently the focus was on finding more vigorous varieties; now the aim is to plant trees with greater production efficiency: using less water, adapted to Mediterranean soils and drought-tolerant. The key is no longer the variety alone but the variety-rootstock combination.

Catalan fruit and vegetables in the international market

Over the last five years (2016-2021) fruit exports have grown 27.26% in value while volume has fallen 2.28%. These two figures show that we are adding value to our fruit in international markets , with a 30.23% increase in the export value-to-volume ratio.

Over the last five years, the number of regular fruit and vegetable exporters has grown 16.60%, from 494 in 2016 to 576 companies in 2021.

The fall in output caused by the frosts has had consequences for 2022 exports: with data available for the first 11 months of the year (January-November), exports fell 14.41% in volume and 5.12% in value compared with the same period in 2021. Pears, apricots and cherries were the hardest hit by this drop in overseas sales. Peaches and nectarines, by contrast, fell in volume but rose in value. Citrus held at 2021 levels in both volume and value.

Germany, the main destination for Catalan fruit exports

The European Union is the natural market for European fruit and where most of the world's fruit and vegetable producers send their exports. Many producing countries aim to grow ever more, well above their domestic demand, in order to sell in Europe, where they enjoy non-reciprocal preferential treatment when it comes to receiving European fruit.

Germany is the main destination for Catalonia's fruit exports , with 20.6% of all fruit exported worldwide. In 2021 Catalonia exported fruit and vegetables to Germany worth more than €207 million and 178,803 tonnes by volume. Fruit accounts for 96% of the total and vegetables 4%.

The main fruits exported are nectarines at 28.9% of the total, followed by peaches at 25.1%, citrus at 19.7% and apricots at 5.3%. Pears and apples account for 3.9% and 0.9% respectively.

Germany imports 9 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year worth €12 billion (5.5 million tonnes of fresh fruit and 3.5 million tonnes of vegetables).

German fruit production in a typical year amounts to some 1.1 million tonnes and vegetables to 4 million tonnes. As demand remains significantly greater than domestic production, Germany depends on imports, which in most cases come from other European countries. The main suppliers in the fruit and vegetable segment are Spain (Catalonia accounts for 4.86% of Spain's exports), Italy and France.

In 2021 the German market consumed more than 4,479,300 tonnes of fruit (26.30% apples, 14.76% citrus, 4.92% peaches and nectarines and 3.01% pears), more than 11% of European consumption, with growth of 4.8% forecast over the next five years — a notable figure for such a mature market, currently the 9th largest consumer worldwide for apples, 15th for pears, 8th for peaches and nectarines and 20th for citrus.