Lisbon, April 27, 2026 (Lusa) – Portugal’s fruit, vegetable and flowers promotor, Portugal Fresh, is set to invest €2.7 million by 2027 to internationalise and promote the fruit and vegetable sector – the most ambitious such initiative since the association was founded – the organisation announced on Monday.

Planned initiatives include attending international trade fairs such as Fruit Attraction in Madrid and São Paulo, Fruit Logistica in Berlin, and Essen’s International Plant Trade Fair (IPM) in Germany in 2026 and 2027. The association also plans business missions to Chile and the United States.

It expects to expand promotional activities to strategic markets including China, India and the United Arab Emirates through prospecting and promotion.

The plan involves creating an interprofessional framework for the sector to improve coordination between players in the value chain, from production to distribution.

Portugal Fresh head, Gonçalo Santos Andrade, said in the statement that the strategy aims to "build solid foundations for the sector to continue growing". He described exports as the engine of the economy.

Exports of fruit, vegetables and flowers grew 5% in 2025 to €2.6 billion, reaching a new annual record and tripling over the last 16 years, he said.

The agri-food sector currently represents 13% of Portugal’s goods exports.

European funds co-finance the investment through Portugal 2030 and COMPETE 2030 (EU-funded programs supporting economic development and business competitiveness).

Portugal Fresh has 112 members representing about 5,000 farmers and promotes national fruit and vegetable products in domestic and foreign markets.

PYR/LYT // AYLS

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