Netherlands overtakes France by value in Spanish apple exports as Italy leads in pears
Fepex data for 2024 and 2025 show a reshuffling of Spain's apple and pear export markets. The Netherlands has overtaken France by value in apples on far higher unit prices, while Italy now leads pears in both volume and value. Overall Spanish export volumes stayed broadly stable.
Spain's exports of apples and pears are undergoing a shift in their main destination markets, according to Fepex data covering 2024 and 2025 reported by freshplaza.it. France is losing ground in value terms to the Netherlands in apples and to Italy in pears, even as overall export volumes remain broadly stable.
Apples: France keeps volume, Netherlands takes value
France remains the leading destination for Spanish apples by volume, taking 27,200 tonnes in 2024 and 26,045 tonnes in 2025. In the most recent year, however, the Netherlands overtook France in economic terms, importing €13.3 million worth of Spanish apples against France's €12.2 million.
The reversal is explained by price. France pays between €470 and €570 per tonne, while the Netherlands pays more than €1,000 per tonne, making it the most profitable market for Spanish apples. Italy and Germany occupy secondary positions, with smaller volumes and lower prices.
Pears: Italy consolidates its lead
The pear trade tells a different story. In 2024, France led by volume with 19,899 tonnes, but Italy was already first by value at €15.5 million. In 2025, Italy overtook France in volume as well, with 19,499 tonnes against 15,669 tonnes, and reinforced its lead by value, reaching €18.6 million at an average price above €950 per tonne.
Germany reached €9.1 million in Spanish pear imports and France €9.7 million. The Netherlands, which still had a significant pear presence in 2024, collapsed in 2025 to just 291 tonnes and €457,000, down from €1.221 million a year earlier.
What the numbers mean for the trade
The data point to a market being reshaped by unit prices rather than by shifting volumes. In apples, France still absorbs the largest tonnage, but the higher-value Dutch channel now accounts for the greater share of export earnings. For Spanish exporters, that makes the destination mix, not just total shipments, central to revenue.
- Apples: France leads by volume; the Netherlands leads by value at over €1,000 per tonne.
- Pears: Italy leads by both volume and value, at an average price above €950 per tonne.
- The Netherlands' pear business with Spain contracted sharply in 2025.
Germany and Portugal reduced their presence in both products over the period analysed. Total Spanish export volumes for apples and pears remained substantially stable, indicating that the movement is concentrated in the ranking of destination markets and in the prices they pay rather than in the overall scale of trade.
