Huelva's berry exports have reached record levels Between January and October, and for the first time since there are official data (1995), the value of the province's shipments has stood at 994 million Euro, which entails a growth of the 7.2% compared to the same period of 2017, according to data from Extenda-Andalusian Agency for Foreign Promotion.
These data confirm Huelva's position as the leading exporter of berries in Andalusia, as the province accounts for 92 percent of the region's sales. This also serves to strengthen Huelva's trade balance, with a 927 million Euro surplus in the first ten months of the year, as reported by the Andalusian Council of Knowledge.
Huelva's record sales have also allowed Andalusia to break a berry sales record in the period between January and October, with 1,082 million Euro and a growth of 6.2% compared to the previous year. The region also consolidates as Spain's biggest exporter of berries, accounting for 85% of the total value.
In these first ten months of 2018, a total of 143 Huelva-based companies have sold berries abroad. 94 of them (66% of the total) are regular exporters (four years in a row exporting). These firms account for 96% of all exports.
The most popular products are strawberries, which account for almost half of all exports (45% of the total), with shipments worth 447 million Euro in the first ten months of 2018; raspberries, with 297 million, 30% of the total and a growth of 14% compared to the same period of 2017; and blueberries, with 158 million, 15.9% and an increase of 29%.
Cranberries stand in fourth place, with 52 million, 5.2% and an increase of 13.1%, followed by blackberries, with 21.6 million, 2.2% of the total and a 38% growth.
Europe remains the main market for Huelva's berries, whose first destination is Germany, with 307 million Euro, 31% of the total and a growth of 10.9% compared to the same period of 2017. Other noteworthy destinations are the United Kingdom, with 259 million, 26% of the total and an increase of 9.5%; and France, with 109 million, 10.9%.
Source: EFE