The Port of Bilbao presents itself as a hub for the import and export of fruit and vegetables

Despite this year’s edition taking place online, Fruit Attraction remains an attractive trade fair for contacting exporters and importers of fruit and vegetables. The pandemic has not curbed the Port of Bilbao’s interest in this fair, to be held throughout the month of October, as an opportunity to consolidate its position, alongside Mercabilbao, as a hub for the import and export of fruit and vegetable products in the north of mainland Spain, and to explore new ways of showcasing what it has to offer and its competitive advantages in this market.

As representatives of the organisations explain: “We work together to increase the flow of incoming goods from places such as South Africa, South and Central America, and the reshipment of fruits and vegetables to Europe and the rest of mainland Spain”.

The Port Authority of Bilbao will showcase the capacity of the area in terms of infrastructure and services and, in particular, with the United Kingdom and Ireland, markets with which services have been stepped up and operations streamlined to meet the new demand generated by Brexit.

In 2019, traffic of fruit and vegetables through the Port of Bilbao topped 167,000 tons, 7% more than in the previous year. Once again, the main products comprising this traffic are vegetables (onions, garlic and leeks), citrus fruits, potatoes and lettuce. Among the products with the highest growth rate are citrus fruits, onions, garlic, leeks and bananas. An important fact to bear in mind is that, so far this year, the traffic of reefer containers has grown by 268%.

Advantages for Brexit

The Port of Bilbao has the necessary infrastructure and facilities to service UK traffic after its departure from the EU at the end of the transition period. The United Kingdom is its main market, with which it moved around 3.4 million tons in 2019, and operators offer excellent connectivity with British ports.