The most important European markets at a glance in the FRUIT LOGISTICA European Statistics Handbook 2020

Europe’s continued importance as a major marketplace for fresh fruit and vegetables is underlined in the third annual edition of the European Statistics Handbook, which is published at this week’s FRUIT LOGISTICA trade show in Berlin. Offering a convenient collection of valuable information about the continent’s key markets and producers, as well as the major fruit and vegetable trade flows that sustain its import-export business, the annual publication can help those in the business make better, more informed decisions. Indeed, the publication contains not just numbers but also informed analysis, helping the industry to make sense of production, supply and trade data in several different markets across Europe. For example, production figures for fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe might appear normal in overall volume terms, but within specific categories the trends are more complicated: falling apple production in Poland versus a larger peach crop in Spain is just one example of the regional and sectoral differences – including contrasting, weather-related fortunes – that are documented in this year’s edition. Although sustainability is now very much a priority for the international fresh produce business, the indications within this European Statistics Handbook are that the trade in fresh fruit and vegetables is becoming more international, with new suppliers to the EU appearing. For that reason, a number of countries in Eastern Europe are included for the first time. In trade terms, the rate of change in Europe’s fresh produce market might not be so pronounced, but there are signs that consumption especially in some of the EU’s smaller markets might be increasing. Germany, France and the UK remained the leading fresh produce import markets during the past year, but their rates of growth were apparently outdone by countries in eastern and southern Europe, albeit from a lower base. That said, Europe’s big five in terms of consumer spending on fresh fruit and vegetables – Germany, Italy, UK, France and Spain – were worth over 64 billion euro combined in 2019 – a significant figure not least in the context of the UK’s very recent departure from the EU.