Portugal Fresh wants to export 2.5 billion by 2030
Portugal Fresh – Association for the Promotion of Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers in Portugal wants to reach by 2030 an export volume of around 2500 million euros, with the objective of achieving an increase of more than 48% in the space of one of each. The goal was announced yesterday by Gonçalo Santos Andrade, president of the association, on the first day of Fruit Attraction 2021, an event that brings together in Madrid, Spain, more than 30 Portuguese participants in the sector, the vast majority of which are companies seeking to increase their exports. At the same time, the strategy involves an increase in production value to 4 billion euros in the same period, compared to the current 3 billion euros, he said.
An essential condition to achieve these goals is the implementation of “a strong strategy in terms of regulatory conditions, with the creation of new perimeters of rule”, stressed Gonçalo Santos Andrade to journalists. In his opinion, the sector “can respond to the growing demand” that is and will be seen in the market, leveraged by the demographic increase and changes in consumption habits. “There is a great opportunity to fill this gap”, but water is needed, he stressed. In this matter, the Secretary of State for Internationalization, Eurico Brilhante Dias, who visited Portuguese companies on the opening day of the event, recalled that the Recovery and Resilience Plan includes investments in irrigation and that, at the same time, there is an agenda for take Portuguese products to many countries.
The government official pointed out the work that has been developed in the opening of new markets, recalling that rock pear producers can already count on India as an export destination and that by the end of the year or beginning of 2022 it should also be concluded how to start for the creation of a green corridor for the Alcobaça apple, while efforts to open up the Saudi Arabian market continue. Eurico Brilhante Dias also underlined that the Portuguese fruit, vegetables and flowers sector more than doubled its exports in the last decade and that it is an area that will have a relevant contribution for Portugal to reach 2027 with exports worth 50% of the domestic product gross.
Quality and origin
After a 5% growth in exports in 2020, which totaled 1,683 million, this year the fruit, vegetables and flowers sector should reach a volume of foreign sales in the order of 1.7 billion euros, a residual increase of 1% compared to the first year of the pandemic. For now, it is known that in the first seven months of the year sales abroad totaled 925 million, a drop of 3.6% compared to the same period of the previous year, justified by the 2020 agronomic year, which was bad for fruits such as apples and pears .
The European Union is the main destination for national fruit, vegetables and flowers, accounting for 82% of sales in the first seven months of this year. Spain was the main market, with a 29% weight in exports, followed by France (15%), the Netherlands (14%), Germany (9%) and closing the top 5 is the United Kingdom (7% ) . Emphasize that. between January and July this year, the volume of exported tons decreased by 10%.
According to Gonçalo Santos Andrade, about twenty companies present at Fruit Attraction have “good prospects for growth and production”, and producers are gaining ground and differentiate themselves by quality, but also by the origin of the product, check the examples of Rocha pear, Alcobaça apple, Algarve orange and red fruits.
Sónia Santos Pereira is a journalist at Dinheiro Vivo
In Madrid. A journalist traveled at the invitation of Portugal Fresh