Between January and September of this year, Spain exported 76,863 tons of apple export for 62.4 million euro and imported 117,183 tons of apples for 90.4 million euro.
During the first 9 months of 2022, the country exported 68,998 tons of pears for 56 million euro and imported 41,472 tons of pears for 39.5 million euro, according to data from the Department of Customs and Excise of the Tax Agency, processed by FEPEX.
The Spanish-French-Italian-Portuguese Pear and Apple Contact Group, which is made up of sectoral representatives of the four countries and heads of the respective administrations, met last Friday in Bolzano, Italy, and discussed some of the main problems that concern the sector.
The strong impact that the increase in all production costs is having on all Community farms was highlighted at the meeting. In Spain, FEPEX Committee's on pip fruit stated in March that apple production costs had increased by 40%, due to the increase in labor and, mainly, due to the increase in energy prices, which had an impact on the process of handling, purchasing packaging, conservating, and transporting the product, increasing costs both in the field and in fruit and vegetable plants.
The Contact Group also addressed one of the issues that concern pome fruit producers in Europe and the Community fruit and vegetable sector in general, namely the proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products, which was presented by the European Commission last June.
The proposal for a regulation provides for a 50% reduction in the use of pesticides by 2030 and a 20% reduction in the use of fertilizers, without a comprehensive assessment of the consequences it would have on the Community's productive fabric, FEPEX stressed.
Source: fepex.es