Lidl exported 27,000 tonnes of fruit, veg in 2022
In total, 1,533 trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables from 505 producers in Portugal left the country for markets such as Germany, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland or Poland.
The retail chain Lidl exported 27,000 tonnes of Portuguese fruit and vegetables to 11 countries in 2022 through the joint campaign with Portugal Fresh, it announced on Monday.
In a statement released today to mark World Agriculture Day, Lidl, which is part of Germany’s Schwarz group, highlighted the growth of this indicator by 23% compared to 2021, “reaffirming the retailer’s support for national producers”.
In total, 1,533 trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables from 505 producers in Portugal left the country for markets in Germany, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The main product exported was pera rocha (pears) from the west, totalling 16,000 tonnes, followed by 4,000 tonnes of cabbage hearts, 2,000 tonnes of stone fruit and another 2,000 tonnes of citrus fruits from the Algarve, 1,400 tonnes of red fruits and 90 tonnes of Alcobaça apples – the latter only exported to Spain and in the months of November and December.
Besides these products, pumpkins, plums, chestnuts, white cabbage and melons were also exported.
“The evolution of the numbers is proof that our mission has been successful and that the national products are of great quality. The partnership we have had with Portugal Fresh since 2014 has allowed us to make a difference in our partners’ businesses,” according to Lidl Portugal’s fruit and vegetables director Pierre Silva, quoted in the document.
Portugal Fresh announced in February that exports of fruit, vegetables and flowers would reach a record value of €2.04 billion in 2022, an increase of 15.6% compared to 2021.
Last year, the main products exported were processed tomatoes (€330 million), small fruits (€260 million), citrus fruits (€172 million), pears (€111 million) and fresh tomatoes (€79 million).
In terms of markets, Spain remained Portugal’s largest customer in the purchase of fruit, vegetables and flowers, with 35%, followed by France, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium as the main destinations of national production in 2022.
In total, the European Union absorbs 80% of the cluster’s total exports.
Created in December 2010 to “enhance the origin ‘Portugal’ and the characteristics of national products, in addition to promoting fruit, vegetables and flowers in domestic and foreign markets”, Portugal Fresh – has 87 members representing over 4,500 Portuguese producers.
