Spain
Country Member Summary
Adapted from report by Freshuelva
(the association representing the Spanish industry)
Huelva continues to be the leading production region for Spanish blueberries with more than 3,300 hectares
planted in 2020-21, while hectarage is rising every year with production from February to July thanks to the
introduction of earlier varieties that are suited to the climate. Following a 3.47% decrease in exported
volume to 66,103 metric tons (MT) in 2020, which was a result of the situation generated by covid, exports
from the region rose by 35.61% to reach 89,644MT in 2021.
Spanish blueberry exports are mostly focused on EU markets with Germany as the leading destination within the
EU community (52.57%), followed by the Netherlands (14.8%), Poland (7.11%), France (5.85%), Italy (5.65%),
Belgium (2.5%) and the Republic of Ireland (1.85%). Whilst no longer in the EU, the United Kingdom continues
to be an important market that received 12,683MT in 2021, or 14.1% of Spain’s total exports.
This makes the United Kingdom by far Spain’s leading non-EU market representing 81.49% of blueberry shipments
outside the union, with other destinations including Switzerland, Norway, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hong Kong
and Malaysia.
The Spanish Agricultural Ministry is currently working on opening more markets outside of the EU but the
process is slow and doesn’t always achieve its desired goal. In the 2021 campaign an opening of the
Brazilian market was achieved with general meetings about compliance with phytosanitary requirements.
Paperwork was submitted for opening the Canadian market to Spanish blueberries, and whilst the process is
advanced it has not yet concluded.
Storm Filomena, which hit the Iberian Peninsula in January 2021, led to a drop in temperatures that delayed
early varieties by a month. Temperatures were very mild in March and April, so the peak that was expected
was not reached. There were also expectations that volume would rise by 40-50% due to the age of plants, the
number of hectares in production and the types of varieties planted, however the crop did not transpire this
way.
There ended up being less production than forecast with a slow and stable supply without peaks. The most
important trend was that prices remained stable. Whilst spring temperatures meant that the Huelva blueberry
didn’t suffer a contraction like what was feared at the beginning of the year, throughout the rest of Europe
the cold weather delayed production in open field and in tunnels, allowing Spain to stay in the market for
more than a month longer than planned with good programs.
Blueberry consumption continues to grow every year. Even though prices were adjusted at the end of the
season, demand responded and there was constant growth. Global production is very large and the market is
supplied by various origins, which leaves fewer gaps in production and facilitates regular consumption over
the course of the year. This helps consumers familiarize themselves with the product and consume blueberries
more frequently.
In Spain, blueberries are available practically 52 weeks a year in all supermarkets, even though in terms of
volume they continue to be far below the levels seen in other countries in Central and Northern Europe.
As has been the case year after year, it is complicated to determine the varietal distribution that is
currently grown in Spain.
Spain
Report Team Narrative
Spanish industry renewal
Though its industry may be fragmented with a mix of privately-owned growers and cooperatives comprising
hundreds of small growers, Spain was able set the scene for southern highbush blueberry production for the
European market and is home to some of the world’s leading know-how, alongside ideal soils and climate, for
the crop to flourish.
However, the tremendous growth from Morocco in recent years has put Spanish growers under competitive
pressure, prompting supply-side and demand-side initiatives from the industry.
From a production standpoint this has triggered a major conversion to new varieties that is ongoing, whereby
growers are seeking out higher-yielding varieties with improved taste, size, firmness and shelf life, and in
some cases earliness that has even allowed for harvests in late November under the right conditions with
specific cultivars. Generally speaking though, Spanish volumes in Huelva begin in mid-January and run
through to July with around 70% concentrated in mid-April to late May.
New genetics providers have also appeared from within Spain seeking to challenge the status quo, offering
their own varieties – many of which are focused on earliness or yield - to growers outside of the club
model. One of these, which is also one of Spain’s leading cooperatives, declares plans to have 80 percent of
production dedicated to its own varieties in three years’ time.
The world’s largest varietal players are also present in the market and are gaining momentum, including a
Spanish breeder of other berries that is now actively promoting its recently developed and released material
in most of the world’s centers of blueberry production growth. A portion of the industry is also turning to
organic blueberries as a point of difference. Spain also hosts the EMEA headquarters of a large American
nursery and genetics company.
After covid-related restrictions in Morocco prevented many Moroccan workers from entering Spain, and also
prevented those within Spain from returning home, the berry industry has sought ways to diversify its labor
supply with a pilot program for pickers flying across the Atlantic from Ecuador and Honduras.
In terms of market development, Germany overtook the United Kingdom as Spain’s top market in 2017, while
Italy has quickly become the industry’s fifth-largest market. The Polish market has progressed a lot in
recent years, as has Spanish blueberry consumption.
Spain does not have a longstanding consumer tradition with the fruit, but promotional campaigns and imports
have allowed for a transformation with blueberries now available in stores year-round. Qualitative industry
estimates show domestic blueberry consumption could be at around 10,000MT annually, representing a per
capita level of just over 200g – well short of the 1kg per capita achieved two years ago in Poland, for
example. “The ceiling is very high,” as one grower explained.
The industry consensus is that Spain, like so many blueberry industries, has benefited from covid and health
benefits perceptions around the fruit. Despite the Moroccan competition, and despite the Philomena storm in
early 2021 that lowered yields, growers have notched good returns. The industry is currently assessing what
a change to UK import protocols will mean whereby the post-Brexit country will require new physotanitary
certificates.
Before the pandemic, Freshuelva was in conversations with counterparts in the Moroccan industry to set up
combined shipping routes for complementary blueberry exports to Asia, with hopes to revive these discussions
in the near future.
