Germany imports most vegetables from Spain, Netherlands

A large proportion of the vegetables consumed in Germany came from abroad in 2022, with the vast majority sourced from Spain and the Netherlands, the Federal Institute for Food and Agriculture in Bonn said on Sunday, reported dpa.

The proportions varied by type of vegetable, with 83% of cucumber imports coming from the two main supplier countries.

In terms of volume, tomatoes were the most important imported vegetable, with Germany importing 655,000 tons in 2022, almost half from the Netherlands.

"Tomatoes are by far the most popular vegetable in Germany, but only around 13% of fresh produce comes from domestic cultivation," a spokeswoman said. When processed tomato products are included in the calculation, the domestic share drops to 3.1%, she noted.

Spain, dubbed Europe's vegetable garden, is also a key supplier of peppers and lettuce. Around one in two crates of both vegetables delivered to Germany came from Spain, the statistics showed.

In total, Germany imported 410,000 tons of peppers and 256,000 tons of lettuce last year.