Catalonia's fruit and vegetable sector regains its international trade expectations

PRODECA is organising the participation of 26 Catalan fruit and vegetable companies at Fruit Attraction 2023, held from 3 to 5 October in Madrid, under the brand "Catalonia, where fruit is culture". This is the 16th edition of this international fair, a major trade platform that for three days fosters intense business relations between companies seeking to boost their promotional activity and the national and international distribution channel.

The Secretary for Food, Carmel Mòdol, the Director General of Agri-food Businesses, Quality and Gastronomy, Joan Gòdia, and Prodeca's managing director, Ramon Sentmartí, will visit the fair on Tuesday 3 October to show institutional support for Catalan companies and for the fruit sector, one of the most important and strategic for the country's agri-food economy. 

On Wednesday 4, Elisenda Guillaumes i Cullell, Director General of Agriculture and Livestock, will present at PRODECA's stand the Sustainable Agricultural Production (PAS) project, the new production model that will assess, classify and recognise Catalan farms and livestock holdings according to their level of environmental, social and economic sustainability, objectively and quantitatively, expected to come into effect in 2024.

Catalan companies taking part in Fruit Attraction 2023 under the brand "Catalonia, where fruit is culture":

• AMSAFRESH - Montsià
• CERIMA CHERRIES – Ribera d’Ebre
• CÍTRICS TERRES DE L'EBRE - DELTAFRUITS – Baix Ebre
• COOPERATIVA DE SOSES – Segrià
• COPA FRESH - Pla d'Urgell
• DASBEN - Segrià
• EXPORTADORA D'AGRIS D'ALCANAR - Montsià
• FRUITA D’ALCARRÀS – Segrià
• GREENFARMERS – Segrià
• GRUP FRUITER – Ribera d’Ebre
• GRUPO CATALÀ – Segrià
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA FRUCTÍCOLA D’EMPORDÀ – Baix Empordà
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA GIRONA FRUITS – Baix Empordà
• IGP POMA DE GIRONA GIROPOMA – Baix Empordà
• LA COMA FRUITS - Segrià
• PRATS FRUITS – Barcelonès
• SANDO CLEMENTINE – Baix Ebre
• SAT PLA D'ESCARP – Segrià
• TRECOOP FRUITES - Segrià
• GERMINATS TUGAS – Baix Llobregat
• VISA FRUITS – Barcelonès
• VIVEROS ALCANAR - Montsià
• AFRUCAT
• IRTA
• CATALAN INTEGRATED PRODUCTION COUNCIL   
• PERA DE LLEIDA PDO REGULATORY COUNCIL

Regaining international commercial reach 

In 2023 the sector has recovered full production figures after years marked by various weather events that hit exports. In the words of Afrucat's chair, Montse Baró, "this is a Fruit Attraction that returns to normality for Catalan production. We approach the fair with optimism and glad to meet buyers and distributors again with our usual capacity, quality and enthusiasm".

Catalan companies' export capacity need not be affected despite the fall in output in recent years, according to Montse Baró, since "we fully trust our customers' loyalty to the quality of Catalan fruit. Even so, we know our competitors from other countries are on the same playing field and being visible in a showcase like Fruit Attraction is essential".

According to Afrucat figures, the sector is working to open new markets, such as Thailand in 2022 with pears, and is prioritising others pending export protocols: Mexico for pome fruit, Peru for stone fruit, Taiwan for apples, China and Israel for cherries, and Brazil for flat peaches and flat nectarines. 

The figures show this commercial growth internationally: in the first half, Catalan fruit and vegetable exports rose 18% in value and fell by almost 2% in volume (though volume is also expected to rise by year-end) compared with the same period last year, and all the signs are that it will again be the third largest agri-food export subsector, behind meat and fine food. 

"The fruit and vegetable sector is following the whole agri-food sector's path from volume to value: the focus has been on product quality, which improves our companies' competitiveness" says Ramon Sentmartí, director of PRODECA. "As a sector we must maintain this long-term strategy of competitiveness, profitability and internationalisation, committed to sustainable, high-quality production that consolidates Catalonia's position in foreign markets", he concludes.

Fruit, a strategic sector of Catalan agri-food

Fresh fruit is one of Catalonia's main farm products for its economic weight, its growing area, its relative importance in both European and Spanish output and its export orientation. Catalonia offers a wide variety of fruit with one unique feature: farming is carried out under an integrated production system. The 35% of the fruit grown in Catalonia comes from integrated production.

Historically, Catalonia has been one of Spain's leading producing regions. In 2021 it produced almost a million tonnes of fruit (984,382), making it the leading sweet fruit growing region. Catalan apples and pears account for 52% and 45% of Spanish output respectively. Stone fruit was also significant: around 30% of the peaches and nectarines grown in Spain were Catalan.

Internationally, Catalonia exports 75% of its fruit (relative to output) to foreign markets and is one of the leading sweet fruit growing areas in Europe and worldwide:

• Spain's largest apple producer
• Europe's largest peach and nectarine producer
• 9th largest peach and nectarine producer worldwide 
• 18th largest pear producer worldwide
• 37th largest apple producer worldwide

The fruit and vegetable sector (Prodeca index) was historically the third largest agri-food export sector in both value and volume until 2021. In 2022 vegetable oils overtook it in value because of the sharp rise in oil prices, especially olive oil.

In 2022 the fruit subsector fell 5.15% in value and 15.19% in volume on 2021, breaking the historical upward trend because of lower output caused by drought and weather conditions. Even so, provisional 2023 figures point to output recovering to 2021 levels.

Over the last five years (2017-2022) fruit exports have fallen 0.56% in value while volume has fallen 24.45%. These two figures show that we are adding value to our fruit in international markets, with a 33.08% increase in the export value-to-volume ratio.

Regular fruit and vegetable exporters have grown 9.68% over the last five years, from 537 in 2017 to 589 companies in 2022.

Destinations of Catalonia's 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.