The strawberry from Huelva strengthens Spain as a global export power and the EU’s leading producer

The strawberry from Huelva boosts Spain to world leadership in exports and consolidates it as the top producer in the European Union in the 2025/2026 campaign.

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The fresh strawberry production of Huelva has once again placed Spain in first place among the producing countries of the European Union (EU27) and as the world’s leading exporter during the 2025/2026 campaign. In this period, 327,255 tons were reached, representing an increase of 3.9 percent compared with 2022, when 313,560 tons were recorded.

This is reflected in the 2025/2026 campaign report prepared by the Price and Markets Observatory of the Government of Andalusia, consulted by Europa Press, which highlights that nearly 96 percent of Spanish strawberries come from the Andalusian community, with practically all of this production concentrated in the province of Huelva. Likewise, around 83.1 percent of the Andalusian area devoted to this red fruit is grown under integrated production systems.

Regarding the cultivated area, the document details growth of 2.5 percent in the period between 2022 and 2026, with a specific rebound of 3% in 2026 compared with the previous year.

With regard to the development of the campaign, the Observatory recalls that it is a seasonal crop whose largest volumes are marketed in spring, mainly between March and April. However, in the 2025/2026 campaign, the peak of production was concentrated in April due to the rains recorded in March. After that, in May, the intense competition from the central European campaigns and the rise in temperatures in Andalusia --which reduces the quality of the fruit-- require gradually removing the crop.

Leadership in world and community trade

At the international level, Spain, thanks to the weight of the strawberries from Huelva, is further established as the leading world supplier by concentrating 23 percent of total exports, ahead of Mexico (16.8%) and the United States (16.4%). The main destinations for Spanish strawberries were Germany (29%), the United Kingdom (15.1%), and France (13.5%). In turn, Mexico directed 100% of its outward shipments to the United States, while the North American country exported mainly to Canada (69.6%) and to the Mexican market itself (15.1%).

With regard to world imports, the United States is at the top (17.5%), followed by Germany (12.8%) and Canada (11.5%). While the United States and Canada supply themselves almost exclusively from their neighbors Mexico (96.4%) and the United States (99.7%), respectively, Germany has Spain as its main supplier, accounting for 52 percent of its purchases, followed at a distance by the Netherlands (18.1%).

Within the Community market, Spain acts as the main supplier to the EU27, by concentrating 47.6 percent of the volume and 43.4 percent of the total value of the block’s imports, where practically all of the strawberry traded comes from European countries.

Finally, the report by the Junta de Andalucía reflects a favorable development in domestic demand, since during 2025 the per capita consumption of strawberries increased for the second consecutive year, both across Spain as a whole and specifically in Andalusia.