Spanish fruit and vegetable exports to China fall by 63%.

 

Spanish exports of fresh fruit and vegetables to the People's Republic of China It has suffered a drastic setback so far in 2025, confirming and deepening a downward trend that has been dragging on for years.

 

According to data processed by the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants (FEPEX), the cumulative drop until August 2025 is 63% in both volume and valueCompared to the same period in 2024, sales totaled just 1.380 tons and 2,3 million euros, relegating China to a marginal position in Spanish fruit and vegetable foreign trade, representing only 0,02% of the total exported.

 

This collapse is part of a steady decline over the last five years.

 

In the last five years (2020-2024), shipments to China have decreased by 58 %, going from 9.427 to 3.870 tons.

 

The Orange, Main Victim of the Fall

 

The product that has contributed most to this decline has been the orangeThe most exported product to the Asian giant. Its shipments fell by 57% between 2020 and 2024, dropping from 8.469 to 3.639 tons.

Other key products have also experienced sharp declines:

• Tangerine: A 93% decrease (from 340 tons in 2020 to 22 in 2024).

• Plum: A 34% drop (from 279 tons in 2020 to 185 in 2024).

• Khaki: Despite having obtained the export protocol in 2023, its sales also decreased, going from 48 tons in 2023 to 16 in 2024.

 

FEPEX points out that this difficulty in consolidating sales in non-European markets is largely due to protectionist policies and the complexity of bureaucratic procedures.

 

Access to the Chinese market, in particular, requires each member state of the European Union to negotiate bilaterally a phytosanitary agreement It's different for each product. This process is long and laborious, extending over years of negotiations.

 

Currently, Spain has protocols in place for citrus fruits, stone fruit (peaches, plums, and nectarines), grapes, persimmons, and almonds. However, a positive development is on the horizon: in April 2025, a protocol was signed for the export of [unspecified products]. Spanish cherrieswhose formal conclusion in August allows us to expect the first shipments for the next campaign