Almería, Murcia and Valencia, the provinces most affected by the French blockades

Along with the indignation at the continuity of the protest acts in France that prevent the free circulation of goods and the lack of commitment of the French authorities to put an end to this situation, the concern of the sector grouped in FEPEX is growing, since in the In fruit and vegetable production-export areas, scheduled collections cannot be delayed, and there are no viable alternatives to truck transportation.

The lack of security in the transport of fruits and vegetables from the production areas to the EU destination markets is causing attempts at origin to delay the collections scheduled for these dates, but the time margin is very small since These are extremely perishable products. This is causing those operators who are deciding to collect and transport their production already experiencing delays in delivery to destination markets and possible sanctions from buyers, while non-collection implies deterioration and loss of the product.

Main exporting provinces

In January the first exporting provinces are Almería, Valencia and Murcia and therefore they are also the most affected, followed by Castellón, Alicante and Huelva. Almería's export in January 2023 amounted to 287,018 tons worth 458 million euros; that of Valencia totaled 237,479 tons for a value of 293 million euros and that of Murcia stood at 200,231 tons for a value of 269 million euros.

Castellón, Alicante and Huelva also export very important volumes in January. Shipments from Castellón, in January of last year, totaled 107,290 tons for a value of 130 million euros; those from Alicante were 65,505 tons and 94 million euros and those from Huelva stood at 26,165 tons and 93 million euros.

Author: Alejandro Martínez
Photography: Ruth Pilar Hortua