In Spain, the production of fruit and vegetables is an economic activity that is very important for agricultural production, employment and exportation. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that fruit and vegetables’ share in final agricultural production represents from 33 to 39%, accounting for 60% of crop production.
The production of fruit and vegetables for the fresh-products market is estimated at 18 million tonnes, of which 11,112,417 tonnes were destined to foreign markets in 2012. Employment in the fruit and vegetable industry accounts for 50% of agricultural employment, with 400,000 workers, and 80,000 workers employed in handling and commercialization operations in the production areas.
Exports account for approximately two-thirds of the industry turnover, with a total value of 9,641 million euros in 2012. 92% of all exports were made to countries within the eu, 5% destined to non-EU European countries and 3% to the rest of the world. The share of the Spanish industry in intra-community fruit and vegetable trade was 29.36% in 2012.
The Spanish fruit and vegetable industry stands out for the following reasons:
- Large diversity of products on offer.
- Large diversity of production areas.
- Large diversity of productive structures.
- An extensive commercializationi calendar that covers the entire year.
- Great innovation capability.
- Close integration of production and commercialization at point of origin.
- Great capability to adapt to market demands in quality, safety and product presentation.
Associations within FEPEX represent all horticultural production and export areas, both outdoors and greenhouse.
Greenhouses are mainly located in the regions along the Mediterranean coast, Andalusia and the Canary Islands. The main grown crops are vegetables and some fruits such as melons, watermelons and strawberries. Outdoor crops are used for growing both fruit and vegetables and are distributed throughout the territory, although there is a greater production concentration in the foreign market-oriented regions, among which are: Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Extremadura, Aragon, La Rioja, Castilla-la Mancha, Castilla-Leon, Navarra, etc.
These operations have very diverse structures, both from a productive and commercial point of view. Most are Limited Companies, cooperatives, and agricultural processing companies. They vary in size, both in terms of turnover and number of shareholders, being many of them recognised as producer organisations.
Most industry companies are part of associations established in the production areas, which are also members of FEPEX.
There are 23 associations dedicated to the production and exportation of fruit and vegetables within FEPEX: