The figures recorded by Almeria's tomato sector, the flagship product in terms of acreage and marketed volume, have grown significantly in the current season. Specifically, the export value of tomatoes has increased by 19.68% compared to the previous season, reaching 450 million Euro, while the volume exported until March 2017 reached 363,478 tonnes, according to the territorial delegate of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, José Manuel Ortiz Bono.
According to the delegate, "these data show the good prices achieved in Almeria in the autumn and winter campaign with respect to the 2015-2016 season, although we still have to wait for the final data, in which we will have to include the low prices reached in the months of April and May, which will likely significantly reduce the average prices paid at origin, even though the average price will eventually be higher than last year's.
The total turnover generated by the province of Almeria with fruit and vegetables during the year 2016 was 2,263 million Euro, which represents more than 47% of Spain's total and makes it the main producer in the country. Murcia, with 1,328 million Euro (28% of the total) and Valencia (332.27 million Euro, 7% of the total) are next in the ranking.
In 2016, the Spanish horticultural sector carried out a total of 233,656 commercial operations; of these, Andalusia accounted for 114,901 and Almeria for 86,149. Ortiz points out that, according to these figures, Almeria accounts for almost 37% of the country's fruit and vegetable transactions and for 75% of Andalusia's.
Regarding the economic volume achieved with these commercial operations, Spain invoiced 4,621 million Euro; Andalusia, 2,437 million Euro and Almeria 2,131 million Euro, which means that Almeria accounts for almost half (46%) of what is invoiced for the export of fruit and vegetables in Spain and for almost 88% of the region of Andalusia's.
The total volume of fruit and vegetables that was exported in 2016 by Spain was 5,252,921 tonnes. Of these, 2,744,841 tonnes were shipped by the region of Andalusia and 2,509,667 tonnes by the province of Almeria. Therefore, according to these data, Almeria represents 48% of the total exported by Spain and almost 92% of Andalusia's.
The main destinations for Almeria's products are Germany, with a market share of more than 33% in 2016; France, with 15%; the Netherlands, with 12%; the United Kingdom, with 11.65%, and Italy with 5%.
Tomatoes
The province of Almeria has consolidated as Spain's most important exporting province when it comes to fruit and vegetables. In the 2016-2017 campaign, the acreage devoted to horticultural crops totalled 46,921 hectares, 10,321 of which were intended for the production of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are the vegetable with the highest production in Almeria, with a total of 556,959 tonnes exported in the previous campaign, followed by peppers, with 499,041 tonnes, and cucumbers, with 462,864 tonnes.
With regard to this 2016/17 season, the province's tomato sector has marketed 363,478 tonnes up to March 2017, which is almost 13% less than in the previous marketing year, when 416,994 tonnes were sold.
As for the turnover achieved by this crop so far in the campaign, the figure stands at almost 450 million Euro, which is almost 20% more than last season, when the total value stood at 376 million Euro.
Source: lavozdealmeria.es