MADRID: Exports of fresh fruit and vegetables to non-EU European countries totalled 160,214 tonnes in the first half of this year, falling by 16% in volume and 5% in value (which amounted to 208 million Euros) compared to the first half of 2015.
Noteworthy is the case of Russia, with a volume of zero tonnes, just as in the first half of 2015, when the Russian veto on EU imports of fresh fruit and vegetables was already in force. Also striking are the negative results in Norway, with 42,443 tonnes (-20%); Switzerland, with 92,790 tonnes (-4%); Belarus, with 6,079 tonnes (-44%) and Ukraine, with 2,728 tonnes (-51%).In the same period, exports to the EU totalled 6,383,864 tonnes (-3%) worth 6,665 million Euros (+6%).
For FEPEX, after excluding political causes, the negative performance of exports to this group of countries is attributable mainly to strong competition, both from other EU countries and third countries.
