ARCHIVED - Last year Murcia exported 112,000 tons of peppers

155 million euros worth of peppers were sold abroad, mainly to Germany, France, the UK and Italy

Among the many fruit and vegetable crops grown in the Region of Murcia one of those experiencing the most growth in export sales is peppers, and last year overall production reached a total of 165,000 tons.

The main varieties grown in Murcia are California, Lamuyo and Italiano peppers, and such is the quality of the products from the Campo de Cartagena that the majority of production (68 per cent) is exported around Europe, principally to Germany, France, the UK and Italy. During 2020 export volume rose by 3.35 per cent to 112,000 tons, providing revenue of 155 million euros (8.3 per cent higher than in 2019), with other important markets including the Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal.

Despite the vagaries of the Murcia climate, in which water is almost permanently in short supply, the expectation is that further growth will be achieved in both production and export sales in 2021. In addition, it is hoped that permission will be received for peppers grown in Murcia to be exported to the United States, providing a further potential boost to the sector.

A crucial part of the sales process is the auctioning of products to purchasers from both the domestic and international markets, and on Tuesday the auction held by Agrodolores in Torre Pacheco received a visit from Antonio Luengo, the minister for Water, Agriculture, Farming, Fishing and the Environment in the regional government of Murcia to see the process.