In the first eleven months of 2024, Andalusia achieved exports worth 36,802 million euros, with a 4.4% growth compared to the same period of the previous year, more than four points above the average for Spain (354,726 million), which registers a “slight” interannual decrease of 14,249 million euros, which de facto represents stagnation compared to the previous year (0 ,0%). This is reported in a note by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and European Funds, by virtue of the Foreign Trade Statistics of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism prepared for Andalusia by the Observatory for the Internationalization of the Andalusian Economy of Andalucía Trade.
The increase in exports is celebrated, however, with an eye toward United States, from where tariffs and protectionist policies are expected by the new Trump administration and that may affect strategic products for the community, especially agri-food products. The United States is the first non-European destination in Andalusia, and fifth in the world, with accumulated sales as of last November close to 3,000 million euros.
The agri-food industry still has in mind the memory of the 2019 tariffs, for nearly 7,000 million euros 113 Spanish productsand which are still maintained for the black olive.
Increase despite tariffs
However, with official data in hand, the years of the first Trump administration (2017-21) were good in general terms for Andalusian sales in the North American giant. Despite the pandemic, Andalusia increased its exports to the US by +15.4%with a significant increase in olive oil, +15.4%, but a drop in table olives -34.9%, due to tariffs.
In the first eleven months of 2024, the Andalusian business in the US increased by 0.5%, up to 2,940 million euroscompared to a 4% national drop. If only non-energy exports are included, the increase was 21.5%, with a record of 2,234 million euros.
Andalusia is the second community Spanish in exports to the United States, with 17.7% of the total.
He olive oil (from January to November 2024) is the star product with 807 million and a growth of 64% (in a year of exceptionally high prices). He aeronautical reached 131 million euros.
Until 2,650 Andalusian companies made sales in the country (+3.6%). Of them, 695 are regular exporters there (4 years in a row with a presence in this market), and they account for 82% of the business.
Worry
The president of the Business Confederation of the Province of Almería (Asempal), Cecilio Peregrinhas recognized this Monday the “decrease” to export capacity that the imposition of possible taxes by the new United States Administration could mean for the foreign sale of the horticultural sectorespecially pepper, whose closure after the sector has undertaken important reforms to re-enter the American market has raised concern among producers.
The advisor to the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanzhas trusted that relations with the United States “will be positive, as always” and has assured that Andalusia will defend its products, while asking the Government of Spain for “proactive diplomacy that avoids situations that on other occasions we have been able to verify that “They have harmed us.”
Questioned in Malaga about fears of the implementation of tariffs in the agricultural sector that would harm Andalusia, Sanz said he would exercise “exquisite prudence”, since, he noted, “We still do not know the political initiatives of the new president of the United States” and because “in the scope of the autonomous community we do not have competence in international relations.
Good general data
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Carolina España, has assessed the general export data as “very positive” that the community’s exports are registering during 2024, thanks, above all, to “the diversification of products” and of “destination and origin of sales”.
Among the exported products that grew the most, he has referred to the olive oilwhich “has increased its sales by 43 percent” and “an export record with 4,250 million euros.” Another sector “that is pulling Andalusian exports” is theaerospacewhich “has grown 20 percent over the previous year and has reached almost 2.3 billion euros.”
With respect to the countries to which sales from Andalusia have gone, the head of Economy, Finance and European Funds has indicated that “the growth of non-European countries stands out, fundamentally China and Morocco“.
In the absence of computing data for December, it is practically certain that The 38,537 million euros reached in 2023 will be exceededalthough the record for 2022, with 42,958 million, seems unattainable.
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