Exports from Alicante province keep growing, even as a traditionally strategic sector like agriculture begins to show signs of strain. A drop in fruit and vegetable output due to drought and unfriendly weather, along with softer commercial results, did not stop foreign sales from rising by 19.7% in January, reaching 605 million euros compared to the same month a year earlier. Shoes, plastics, and metal sectors helped sustain the expansion, while textiles and toys contributed to the early-year decline.
The latest export figures from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism already reflect weaker vegetable and fruit production across Alicante. Several forces feed this trend, starting with water scarcity. Although cuts to the Tagus-Segura transfer are not yet finalized, a series of restrictions before planting crops led many farmers to reduce areas under cultivation. Added to this were meteorological setbacks, resulting in harvest losses approaching 40%. Those losses are already showing in export data, shaping the current picture.
According to José Vicente Andreu, president of Asaja-Alicante, citrus production also fell, compounded by competition from third countries that competes mainly on price and fails to meet local quality standards.
All these factors combined to slow the momentum in exports, which is the province’s main export sector and had been climbing sharply up to last year. In January, trade in legumes and vegetables stood at 60.8 million euros, barely two million more than a year ago, while fruit and vegetables remained around the same level at 52 million. The biggest losses occurred in crops like tomatoes and lettuce, as well as clementines and tangerines. Andreu notes that the current trend is likely to persist in the coming months, as production data show little improvement. The agri-food sector provides a silver lining through canned vegetables and fruits, which grew significantly—from 15.1 million euros to 22.3 million euros.
Other sectors that performed poorly at the start of the year were toys and textiles. In toys, sales declined from 7.6 million euros last year to 5.8 million currently. José Antonio Pastor, director of the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ), stressed that even with a positive finish, exports rose less than expected last year by about 1.7%, a trend that affects roughly half of the annual turnover in the final period.
Meanwhile, home textiles exports, mainly produced by local companies, fell from 3 million to 2.8 million. By late 2022, signs of weakness appeared in this sector as production dropped more sharply. Pepe Serna, president of Ateval, the regional employers’ association, pointed out that firms—especially finishing outfits—continue to bear the burden of high energy costs, adding that inflation compounds the challenge. He noted that these products are not mandatory and can be scaled back in tough economic times.
Water scarcity limits vegetable output in Alicante and echoes across Europe, but foreign sales in the province still advance. The resilience comes from key industries with deep regional weight, including footwear, which posted a strong January with 126 million euros in exports, up from 100 million a year ago. Plastic exports also rose, reaching 36.9 million euros, six million more than last year. The metal sector continues to grow across its sub-sectors, with aluminum and related products increasing from 24.7 million to 28.7 million, and electrical household appliances and materials climbing from 15.9 to 22.6 million.
Imports rose too, though at a slower pace than exports, reaching 486.8 million euros, a 6.8% increase.