MAPAMA and FEPEX participate together in Asia Fruit Logistics to open new markets for Spanish fruits and vegetables
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA), together with the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables, Flowers and Living Plants (FEPEX) participate in these days in the fair Asia Fruit Logistics, which has been holding in Hong Kong from 6th to 8th September, with the main objective of encouraging the opening of new markets for Spanish fruit and vegetables.
To this end, Spain has a display area of 327 m2 (divided into individual booths of 9 m2), where 28 Spanish companies will participate, of which 23 are FEPEX members.
In this context, MAPAMA will promote the contact of Spanish producers and traders of horticultural products with potential customers in the Asia Pacific area (importers, distributors, supermarket chain buyers, independent trade, hospitality and catering, and others)
The Ministry’s participation in this meeting has been coordinated by the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX), in collaboration with FEPEX and the Spanish Economic and Trade Office in Hong Kong. In addition, it forms part of the collaboration agreement between MAPAMA and FEPEX, a sectoral organization made up of thirty associations of producers that groups more than 1,440 Spanish fruit and vegetable companies. With this type of agreement, the Ministry of Agriculture promotes the presence of Spanish associative companies from the agri-food and fisheries sectors in the institutional pavilions of the Ministry in different international meetings, as a strategic activity for the internationalization of the Spanish agri-food sector.
Fruit trade grows with China
After several years of negotiations, the signing of the bilateral protocol signed in 2016 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, has allowed the opening of the Chinese market to Spanish exports of bone fruit, with Spain being the first and only country in the European Union authorized to do so.
The entry of these products into the Chinese market is going to imply a great boost to the national horticultural export. Until now, Spain was only authorized to export citrus fruits to China (mandarin, orange, grapefruit and lemon). With the signing of the agreement, Spain becomes the first country in the world that has free access to export bone fruit to the Chinese market.
In 2016, Spanish citrus exports to China amounted to 12,600 tonnes (10,000 tonnes of oranges, 2,200 tonnes of mandarins and 200 tonnes each of lemons and grapefruits). The value of these exports was 14.5 million euros, with growth of 300% compared to 2015.
In addition to citrus, Hong Kong also imported from Spain grapes, plums, apples and other fruits (blueberries and persimmons), for a total value of 7.8 million euros.
The fair Asia Fruit Logistica keeps a constant evolution year after year. Thus, in the 2016 edition registered more than 11,000 visitors from 74 countries, an increase of 22% compared to 2015
In all, some 665 companies from 37 countries exhibited their products and services in 2016, with an increase of almost 100 companies compared to the previous year.
It is the most established meeting in the Asia-Pacific region, aimed exclusively at professionals of the highest level of purchasing decision and selection of new international suppliers of horticultural products. Of these, 66% were of Asian origin (mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, among others). Also note that Australia and the United States were the second and third countries, respectively, in number of visitors.
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Source: MAPAMA
