Fepex has downplayed the US decision to impose tariffs on a range of EU agricultural products, claiming it will have a limited impact on Spanish fruit and vegetable exports.

The federation noted that the volume of fresh produce sent by Spain to the US is “very limited due to the difficulty in accessing this market”.

Last year shipments to the US totalled 31,126 tonnes with a corresponding value of €50m, representing 0.4 per cent of total exports in value and 0.25 per cent in volume.

This was a decrease of 24 per cent in value and 30 per cent in volume on the previous year, Fepex said.

Onions were the leading vegetable export (€19.1m), while citrus led the field in terms of fruit shipments (€14.6m).
According to the most recent customs data, Spanish fruit and vegetable sales to the US in 2019 stood at 17,638 tonnes worth €30.5m.