This Alicante region posted strong export growth in March, driven by its sales pipeline. The economy has managed to weather stagnation or even decline in other sectors, thanks to inflation-related uncertainty that pushed people to seek steady, tradable goods.
Exports from Alicante businesses rose by 18.1% in March, reaching 723.8 million euros, according to ICEX data released on Thursday. This represents a clear acceleration from February, when growth was limited to 7%. With these figures, the first quarter closed with exports totaling 1.951 billion euros, marking a 14.79% increase year over year.
The year’s early momentum was led by agriculture, which benefited from favorable prices for key products. Artichokes, boosted by frost in other production zones, and citrus fruits in the cited months contributed to robust sales of fresh vegetables and fruits. March saw vegetables and greens rise by 34%, totaling 77.9 million euros; fresh fruits contributed 57.3 million euros, a 25.9% rise; and other produce accounted for 27.7 million euros, up 48.4%. These gains underscore a strong agricultural export cycle that helped buoy overall performance.
An artichoke field in Vega Baja illustrates the sector’s vitality. The broader agriculture-food sector accumulated 532 million euros in shipments abroad during the first quarter, about 15.5% higher than the same period in 2022.
Plastic products also posted solid results, exporting 46.8 million euros in March, up 26.9%. The segment has surpassed 123 million euros for the first quarter, reflecting an 18% rise in the quarter-over-quarter assessment.
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Other notable performers included machine manufacture, which reached 22.2 million euros, up 49% year over year, and electrical equipment sales of 17.5 million euros, also up 49%. Ceramic materials, including tiles and porcelain, jumped 88% in March to 9.2 million euros, contributing to a quarterly balance sheet of 23.7 million euros, up 61.3% from 2022.
In the furniture sector, March sales rose 27% to 14.2 million euros, while the first quarter total increased by 6.9% to 34.4 million. The toy sector reversed earlier declines, delivering 12.2 million units in March, a 10% increase year over year.
The shoe industry continued to drive a substantial portion of Alicante’s exports, delivering a positive annual comparison in March after a modest February uptick. Shoe shipments reached 140.5 million euros in March, up just 2.8%. The first three months of the year total 397 million euros, reflecting an 8.9% growth thanks to robust January figures.
Despite a visible slowdown in consumer demand, industry observers note that the impact remains uneven across products. Fashion items often face the most pressure, while other categories exhibit greater resilience. Aluminum products stood out as a negative outlier, decreasing by 21% to 28 million euros in March, continuing a downward trend from earlier months due to softer metal prices on international markets. This softness has contributed to lower prices for manufactured goods that rely on aluminum inputs.