disposition
Across the sector, investment funds focused on agriculture and food have grown significantly in recent years. Spain, ranked as a major agri-food power, attracted national and international capital. The trend is global, with war in Ukraine accelerating interest. Even with a slowdown in deal activity, the sector remains seen as a reliable source of profitability due to steady returns and resilience to market cycles. In Iberia, the total deal flow handled by institutional investors surpassed one thousand million euros in 2022, reflecting rising confidence in agricultural production. A leading figure in Iberian agribusiness, Thomas Teixeira, head of Agribusiness at CBRE, notes investors expect agricultural output to rise by about thirty percent by 2030. He highlights inflation uncertainty as a driver of interest in farming, given the predictable rise in prices. Major wealth funds, venture capital, pensions, and insurers are watching arable land in Spain closely. Yet the investment mood faces challenges from persistent drought and rising transport and fertilizer costs.
An example of these movements is Planasa, which last year drew offers above one thousand million euros from funds such as CVC, Partners, KKR, Permira and Bridgepoint. Planasa specializes in producing blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry varieties, while also growing garlic, asparagus, and avocado. With a workforce around four thousand and EBITDA near eighty million, it projects revenue around two hundred ten million euros this year. This profile illustrates the new farming model under way. Another notable case is the Ametller Origen group, which plans to invest about one hundred eighty million to push vertical integration in agribusiness and become a benchmark for modern technical agriculture.
Price increase
Gesvalt, a property valuation firm, notes that more than ninety percent of rustic farms in Spain are privately held and owned by commercial companies that steadily grow assets each year. These companies account for about two and a half percent of farms and roughly twelve percent of agricultural land, signaling strong investment prospects in the sector. Gesvalt forecasts land prices for crops to rise in the near term, though past revaluations have tended to be moderate.
Data from the DBK study shows fruit and vegetable production in Spain fell about two and a half percent in 2022 to twenty billion six hundred forty-five million euros, a result of adverse weather impacting volumes despite price gains. Analysts expect future investment to be necessary for farmers and ranchers to cope with water scarcity and higher energy costs in the regional context.
Spain’s fresh fruit and vegetable exports in 2022 reached twelve million tons, down about ten percent from 2021, while value rose roughly one and a half percent to fifteen thousand nine hundred thirty million euros. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade released the figures, highlighting a strong export orientation for the sector.
According to the Federation of Spanish Fruit, Vegetable, Flower and Livestock Exporters Associations, the sharp volume decline in 2022 is largely tied to weather. Spring frosts reduced stone fruit production in Aragon and Catalonia, while heavy rains in horticulture-heavy regions such as Murcia interrupted harvests. Summer heat waves and a very warm early winter further constrained production in Andalusia.
growth since 2014
Energy and fertilizer costs pressured growth, but Spain’s fruit and vegetable exports continued expanding in 2022, rising modestly after a jump in the previous year. Since 2014, exports have risen by close to half in value as production from southern Europe benefits from higher energy costs elsewhere. The overall value of fruit exports stood at eight billion eight hundred eighty-five million euros, down slightly from the prior year, while vegetable exports grew to seven thousand eighty-six million euros with a seven percent rise. Market dynamics reflect a balance of price strength and volume shifts across the region.
Export
The European Union remains the dominant destination for Spain, absorbing roughly eighty-one percent of fruit and vegetable sales abroad, followed by other member nations. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom stand out as the primary markets for both fruit and vegetables, together accounting for around sixty percent of the external value.
Imports rose about twelve point eight percent to three billion five hundred twenty-three million euros, with Moroccan shipments contributing a sizable portion of fruit and vegetables imported.
Exports of fruit showed a sharper annual decline, totaling six point six million tons and dropping thirteen percent, affecting most products. Stone fruits like peaches fell about twenty-four percent to two hundred sixty-two thousand two hundred eleven tons, and nectarines dropped twenty percent to two hundred seventy-seven thousand five hundred thirty-nine tons. Red fruits saw strawberries fall twelve percent to two hundred seventy-eight thousand one hundred thirty-seven tons, while blueberries slipped three percent to eighty-six thousand eight hundred seventy-nine tons. The total value of fruit exports was eight thousand eight hundred forty-three million euros, down three percent.
Vegetable exports declined seven percent in 2022, reaching five point three million tons as major vegetables such as peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and cabbage faced reductions in volume. The value of vegetable exports nonetheless rose seven percent to seven thousand eighty-six million euros.