Andalusian soft fruit exports reached 1,208 million euros in 2020, while contributing 1,020 million euros of positive foreign trade to the regional economy, and showed a coverage rate of 642%, with exports more than six times higher than imports. Sales of Andalusian soft fruits remained steady in 2020 with only a slight decrease of 0.8%. In this way, Andalusia is the leading red fruit exporting region in Spain, with 85% of the national total (1,417 million). These data are provided by Extenda.
Andalusia sells red fruits mainly to EU markets, with the top ten destinations being countries on the European continent. First place goes to Germany, with 399 million euros and 33% of the total, with an increase of 0.2%; followed by the United Kingdom, with 310 million (25.7% of the total) and an increase of 9.4% compared to 2019; the Netherlands, with 133 million (11% of the total.
Likewise, Huelva accounts for almost all sales in the sector in Andalusia, with 1,098 million and 91% of the total and a decrease of 2.8%; followed by Seville, with 79 million (6.5% of the total) and an increase of 51%; Cadiz, with 15 million (1.2% of the total) and a decrease of 19.4%; and Malaga, with 11.7 million (1% of the total) and an increase of 2.5%. The rest of the provinces in the region recorded very low figures.
The most sold products were strawberries, with 477 million (40% of the total) and a slight decrease of 0.9%; followed by raspberries, with 386 million (32% of the total) and a fall of 3.4%; and, in third place, blueberries, with 326 million (27% of the total) recorded an increase of 11.4%.
The CEO of Extenda, Arturo Bernal, and the president of Freshuelva-Asociación Onubense de Productores y Exportadores de Fresa, Alberto Garrocho, have signed reciently a collaboration agreement to boost the international promotion of Huelva’s red fruits. This agreement aims to optimise and coordinate their respective resources, programmes, and activities to boost the international promotion of a sector that Andalusia leads in Spain with exports worth 1,208 million euros in the last year 2020.
Through this public-private alliance, both entities will share information related to companies in their field interested in the internationalisation process, as well as data on the sector that can serve as a basis for the design of brand or sectoral strategies. They will also jointly carry out dissemination activities such as conferences and seminars, the preparation of sectoral studies, and the organisation of international visits.
On the other hand, Extenda-Andalucía Export and Foreign Investment will provide Freshuelva and its associated firms with its training services, information, consultancy programmes, and its commercial actions in all the world’s markets, including those covered through its Foreign Network present in 62 markets, and the actions programmed from its geographical areas for America, Asia-Pacific, Africa-Middle East, and Europe.
