Catalonia pushes to open new international fruit markets at Fruit Attraction 2025

From 30 September to 2 October Catalonia takes part in the 17th Fruit Attraction, the leading international fair for the fruit and vegetable sector. Catalonia's participation is coordinated by Prodeca — a public company of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food — which supports 30 Catalan companies and organisations on a joint stand in the Espai Catalunya in Hall 5.

The Secretary General for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Cristina Massot, the Secretary for Food, Rosa Cubel, the Director General for Agriculture and Livestock, Rosa Altisent, Joan Gòdia, Director General for Agri-food Companies, Quality and Gastronomy, and Prodeca's director, Dèlia Perpiñà, will visit the Catalonia stand at Fruit Attraction to support the participating companies directly. This institutional presence reinforces the commitment of the Department of Agriculture and Prodeca to the sector's overseas outreach and to supporting companies through internationalisation.

This year's edition comes at a strategic moment for the sector, marked by the need to open new plant health protocols and consolidate existing ones to guarantee access to priority markets. Current priorities for opening new markets for Catalan sweet fruit focus mainly on Asia and Latin America, especially opening the protocol in Mexico for pome fruit (apples and pears), where interested potential buyers already exist. Other priorities include new protocols in markets such as plums in South Korea, apples in Taiwan and Chile, cherries in Canada, apples and cherries in Argentina and stone fruit in the United States.

One obstacle to overcome in these markets is the plant health requirements before export protocols can be obtained, as well as the logistical factor of transit time, which for sea shipments to Asia can reach forty days. For this reason Prodeca and the Department of Agriculture are focusing on negotiating more favourable conditions and finding logistical alternatives to guarantee commercial viability.

To respond to the sector, Prodeca runs sector working groups on sweet fruit and citrus as spaces for debate and strategic planning, setting market priorities, strengthening technical and commercial instruments and encouraging the sector's professionalisation. In parallel, institutional work continues to speed up the protocols and, commercially, presence at international fairs and meetings with buyers from markets of interest are being stepped up.

Institutional and sector coordination to advance the opening of new markets

At the fair Prodeca and the Department of Agriculture have arranged an agenda with institutional and business representatives from the agri-food sector. One highlight is the meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, together with representatives of Afrucat, with the aim of conveying the protocol needs in markets strategic for the Catalan fruit sector and strengthening collaboration between administrations and professional organisations.

Also scheduled is a meeting, in collaboration with ACCIÓ, with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), a key counterpart for Canada's fruit and vegetable sector , representing companies marketing fresh fruit and vegetables. Canada has shown interest in Catalan stone fruit and citrus, and the meeting will explore collaborations to speed up the plant health requirements for cherries.

Another key meeting will be with EDEKA (Germany), one of Europe's main retail chains. The meeting, part of the strategy of consolidating and positioning Catalan products in strategic markets and building contact with international retail, will consider Catalan fruit promotion activities in German supermarkets in 2026 with Prodeca.

The weight of Catalan exports and the sector's international momentum

Catalan fruit and vegetable exports continue to show their momentum in overseas markets. Between January and July 2025 more than 587,000 tonnes were exported worth over €891 million, 10% growth in value and a fall of almost 7% in volume on the same period in 2024. These figures show that Catalan fruit — especially peaches, nectarines, citrus, apples and pears — is consolidating its position in the most demanding international markets and maintains a strong presence in the European Union, with France, Germany and Italy as the main destinations.

Catalonia also has 375 regular fruit exporters, almost 20% of the Spanish total. This diverse, active business base reflects the sector's adaptability and competitiveness, having added value to its production in recent years. Over the past five years exports have grown by more than 40% in value despite falling volume, a clear sign that Catalan fruit has gained prestige and added value in international markets. The fruit and vegetable sector is one of the drivers of Catalan agri-food exports. Taking part in Fruit Attraction strengthens this positioning and opens new opportunities to keep growing in strategic markets.

The fair is also a key meeting point for networking and media visibility. Over the three days Catalan companies hold business meetings with importers and distributors from around the world and feature in specialist and general media, helping project Catalonia's image as a source of quality fruit and vegetables.

The fair's strategic value for taking Catalan fruit to the world

Fruit Attraction has established itself as the benchmark platform for fruit and vegetable internationalisation. In 2024 the fair brought together 2,201 exhibiting companies from 59 countries and 113,370 professionals from 145 international markets. This year, with two additional halls dedicated to Africa and the Americas, it strengthens its role as the sector's global showcase.

Catalonia's participation, with companies from across the territory representing the full range of fruit products — pome fruit, stone fruit, citrus, cherries and berries — highlights the diversity and quality of Catalan production. In all, 116 Catalan companies are taking part, 30 of them in the Espai Catalunya organised by Prodeca, reinforcing the sector's commitment to gaining competitiveness in world markets. 

Catalan companies taking part in Fruit Attraction 2025 in the Catalonia space:

• AMSAFRESH - Montsià
• BOLETS PETRÀS – Baix Llobregat
• 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 SCCL – Montsià
• FRUILAR – Segrià
• FRUITS QUERALT – Segrià 
• FRUTÍCOLA EMPORDÀ – Baix Empordà
• GIRONA FRUITS – Baix Empordà
• GIROPOMA COSTA BRAVA – Baix Empordà
• GREENFARMERS – Segrià
• GRUP FRUITER DE BENISSANET – Ribera d’Ebre
• GRUPO CATALÀ – Segrià
• LA COMA – Segrià 
• LAUMONT – Urgell
• PETRIFRUIT SL – Segrià 
• PRATS FRUITS, S.L. – Barcelonès
• SANDO CLEMENTINE – Baix Ebre
• SAT PLA D'ESCARP  – Segrià
• SAT.FRUITA D'ALCARRÀS – Segrià 
• TRECOOP FRUITES SCCL – Segrià 
• TUGAS: GERMINADOS Y MICROBROTES – Baix Llobregat
• VISA FRUITS – Barcelonès
• VIVEROS ALCANAR - Montsià
• AFRUCAT
• IRTA