Spain's trade balance in agri-food and fishery products rose by 25.8% in 2020 compared to 2019, to reach 18,693 million euros. In contrast, the overall national trade balance shrank by 57.4% in the same year.
Fig. 1. Total Spanish foreign trade and main agro-food products exported in 2020
These are some of the figures compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding foreign trade in 2020. It should be noted that forestry products are not included, which did appear in previous reports, as they now depend on the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Agro-food imports
Imports of the total Spanish economy fell by 14.7% in 2020. The decrease was smaller in the agro-food and fishing sector, by 4.6%, reaching 35,155 million euros.
As a result, the trade balance of the Spanish agro-food and fishing sector (the difference between exports and imports) increased by 25.8% and amounted to 18,693 million euros, a figure that also represents a record for the country (Fig. 2). In contrast, the trade balance of the entire Spanish economy fell by 57.4% in 2020.
Fig. 2. Agro-food exports and imports and trade balance in 2020
Taking into account last year's performance, the agro-food and fishing sector consolidated the important role it plays in Spanish foreign trade; it now accounts for 20.6% of total national exports, while its imports represent 12.8%.
Main exported products (Fig. 1)
The main export contribution came from the fruit group, with a value of 9.57 billion euros (+5.8%). In second place was meat, which sold for a value of 8,436 million euros, being the subsector with the highest growth (17.8%), driven by Chinese demand. Vegetables were the third most exported group, with 6,890 million euros (+3.1%).
Fig. 3. Top trading partners in terms of export sales
The proportion accounted for by the EU until last year was even higher, 72% in 2019, before Brexit. Although the data refer to 2020, as this report is made in 2021, the UK is already listed as a third country.
The value of agro-food and fishery exports to third countries increased by 8.5%, reaching a total of 20,088 million euros. This rise was due to the significant increase in sales to China, which rose by 67.5%.
No replacement for Russian market
In the first four months of 2021, Spanish fruit and vegetable exports to third countries fell by 22.5% in volume and 24% in value compared to the same period in 2020. When seven years have passed since the Russian veto on imports of fruit and vegetables from the EU, the sectoral organization FEPEX uses these poor results to highlight the difficulty in consolidating new markets.
In 2013, before the veto, Spain directly exported fruit and vegetables worth 229.9 million euros to Russia. The volume was 231.4 million kilos, although the actual volume was considered much higher given the strong weight of re-exports mainly from the Netherlands, France and Poland.