According to a report by Talk Finance, the UK saw around 10 per cent fewer imports of fresh fruits and vegetables during the lockdown period at the start of the Coronavirus crisis.
According to the report, ‘United Kingdom have fallen further and further behind those in the same months of the previous year. For example, a quarter less tomatoes were imported. In January and February this year the United Kingdom imported almost as much fresh vegetables as in 2019 but in March this year it was 6 per cent less than in March last year, 9 per cent less in April and 16 per cent less in May.’
Across the first five months of the year overall imports were roughly the same as the previous year, although the measurement was by value in Euros, rather than volume, so may have been affected by currency changes.
While imports from South Africa and Colombia were slightly up over the period, others such as Egypt and Morocco saw sharp falls, and European countries were particularly badly affected. ‘From Spain, 8% less were imported and 9% less from the Netherlands. In particular, imports from Germany, Ireland and Poland fell sharply,’ said the report.
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