Morocco Remains Spain’s Top Fruit and Vegetable Supplier Despite Lower Volumes

Spain’s imports rise in volume and value

Spain imported approximately 2.5 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables worth close to €3 billion during the first six months of the year, according to La Razón, citing data from the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants, or FEPEX.

Total import volume increased by 6.8% compared with the same period a year earlier, while the value of purchases rose by 4.4%. The figures point to continued growth in Spain’s demand for foreign produce, although the faster increase in physical volumes than in expenditure indicates that the value trend did not keep pace with the expansion in tonnage.

Non-European Union suppliers accounted for the larger share of the market. Countries outside the bloc supplied 54% of Spain’s imported volume and 72% of its import value. Their shipments were worth more than €2.23 billion, representing annual growth of 7%, while the reported volume reached about 1.4 million tonnes.

Morocco retains the leading position

Morocco remained Spain’s largest foreign supplier of fruit and vegetables. Spanish imports of Moroccan produce were valued at €950 million during the six-month period, around 6% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to the FEPEX figures reported by La Razón.

Moroccan shipments exceeded 351,000 tonnes, but this represented a 7% year-on-year decline in volume. The combination of lower tonnage and higher total value underscores Morocco’s strong commercial position in the Spanish market. It also distinguishes the country from the broader trend in Spain’s imports, where overall volume growth exceeded growth in value.

Morocco alone represented a substantial share of purchases from outside the EU by value. Its proximity to Spain, together with its position as the largest supplier in the reported ranking, makes developments in Moroccan production and shipments particularly relevant for Spanish importers, wholesalers and produce distributors.

Peru and Costa Rica follow in the ranking

Peru ranked second among the suppliers listed by La Razón, shipping more than 150,000 tonnes of agricultural products to Spain with a value of €289 million. Costa Rica followed with exports valued at €182 million, while Brazil supplied €121 million of fruit and vegetables. Egypt’s shipments were valued at no more than €60 million.

These figures show that Spain’s sourcing outside the EU is spread across North Africa and Latin America, even though Morocco holds a clear lead by value. For exporters in Peru, Costa Rica and Brazil, the Spanish market also provides an entry point into a major European produce distribution and consumption center.

EU suppliers deliver more volume at lower total value

Spain imported around 1.19 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables from other EU member states, valued at €856 million. The bloc supplied 46% of total import volume but only 28% of import value, compared with the 72% value share held by non-EU origins.

France was Spain’s largest EU supplier, delivering more than 657,000 tonnes worth over €211 million. The Netherlands ranked next by value, with shipments exceeding €142 million. Portugal and Italy were also among the principal EU origins, with Italian exports valued at €135 million.

The contrast between the EU and non-EU shares is commercially significant. EU suppliers accounted for nearly half of imported tonnage, led by France’s large-volume trade, while suppliers outside the bloc captured most of the expenditure. For Spanish buyers, the first-half figures highlight a supply base divided between high-volume intra-EU flows and more valuable purchases from non-EU partners, above all Morocco.