Exports from Alicante province are resuming growth after a brief dip over two consecutive months. The agri-food sector stands out again in June, showing clear signs of recovery as it helps steady overall trade despite broader challenges. With the latest figures, the region closes the first half of the year with a 5.2 percent rise in international sales, reinforcing the trend of recovery that began as the pandemic’s worst effects faded. Yet a note of caution remains: the pace is slowing, and agriculture bears a shrinking share in the export mix amid potential cuts to the Tajo-Segura transfer system which could impact water‑intensive farming.
Data released this Thursday by the Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) indicate Alicante firms exported goods totaling 605 million euros in June, up 1.5% from the same month a year earlier. Although the growth is modest, it marks a departure from the prior two months of decline and highlights a stabilizing pattern in overseas sales.
In analyzing the sectors that performed best last month, the agri-food segment stands out. Legumes and vegetables reached 34.2 million euros in sales, rising from 28 million the previous year. Fruit exports climbed to 64.2 million euros, a notable increase from 49.5 million in June 2022. Canned vegetables and fruits also recovered, moving from 27.5 to 29.7 million euros. These gains contribute positively to the overall balance for the period.
On the downside, the industrial sector shows a more worrying trend, dragging the region into a recessionary mood. The province’s leading export item—footwear—amounted to 89.6 million euros, roughly on par with last year’s 89.3. Plastics and related products remained steady, exporting 42.6 million euros, similar to 2022 levels. The overall picture suggests resilience in some segments but a fragile breadth across the industrial base.
April export surge for Alicante
Metal goods showed a mixed performance compared with the previous year, reflecting the varied dynamics within sub-sectors. Aluminum and related products fell to 34.3 million euros after reaching 39.4 million in June of the prior year. In contrast, electrical appliances and materials rose to 15 million euros from 11.3 million in 2022. Auto parts stood at 20.2 million, compared with 19.1 million, while machinery and mechanical devices reached 20.6 and 17 million respectively, underscoring a divergent trend across metal-related exports.
The toy industry also saw a modest improvement, rising to 20.6 million euros this month from 17 million a year earlier. In contrast, textile and household goods slipped to 5.7 million euros in June 2022, underscoring sector-specific volatility within the export portfolio.
With these latest figures, the first half balance shows a positive total of 3,754 million euros, up 5.2% from 3,567 million in the same period last year. The catch is that most of the growth occurred in the first quarter; the second quarter displayed slower momentum, tempering overall expansion.