Portuguese exports of fruit, vegetables and flowers will reach a record value of 2,040 million euros in 2022, an increase of 15.6% over 2021, Portugal Fresh announced today.
In astatement, the Association for the Promotion of Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers from Portugal also said that, based on data released today by the National Statistics Institute (INE), international sales of the sector grew 13.6% in volume, to 1,835 million kilograms.
Last year, the main products exported were processed tomatoes (330 million euros), small fruits (260 million euros), citrus (172 million euros), pears (111 million euros) and fresh tomatoes (79 million euros).
In terms of markets, Spain remained Portugal’s largest customer in the purchase of fruits, vegetables and flowers, with a weight of 35%, followed by France, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium as the main destinations of national production in 2022.
In total, the European Union absorbs 80% of the total exports of the ‘cluster’.
Quoted in the statement, the president of Portugal Fresh considers that “this is a milestone for the entire sector and the result of more than a decade of investment, not only in international promotion, but also in innovation and technology.
“Portuguese companies are to be congratulated! In these last few years in particular, and in a particularly adverse context, they have shown an enormous resilience, which only proves that the bet in the sector is a winning bet and that it is, in fact, strategic for the economic development of the country,” says Gonçalo Santos Andrade.
Reaffirming the “urgent need to value the agri-food sector”, he demands “a Ministry of Agriculture and Food that matches this growth ambition, with a robust and competent structure that works closely with the sector”.
The president of Portugal Fresh announced these numbers today in Berlin, where 27 Portuguese companies, partners and organizations are present at Fruit Logistica, considered “the largest business fair in the sector.
Created in December 2010 to “value the origin ‘Portugal’ and the characteristics of national products, in addition to promoting fruits, vegetables and flowers in domestic and foreign markets,” Portugal Fresh – has 87 members representing more than 4,500 Portuguese producers.
