A large proportion of the vegetables consumed in Germany come from abroad. By far the most important supplier countries last year were Spain and the Netherlands, as the Federal Institute for Food and Agriculture in Bonn announced. When it comes to cucumbers, 83 percent of imports came from these two countries. In terms of quantity, tomatoes are the most important imported vegetables. In 2022, around 655,000 tons were imported into Germany. Almost half of them came from the Netherlands.
“Tomatoes are by far the most popular vegetable in Germany, but only around 13 percent of the fresh produce comes from domestic cultivation,” explained a spokeswoman. If processed tomato products are also taken into account, the domestic share drops to 3.5 percent.
Spain, considered Europe’s vegetable garden, is also crucial as a supplier of peppers and lettuce. According to the information, about every second box of both foods delivered to Germany came from the southern European country. In total, Germany imported 410,000 tons of peppers and 256,000 tons of lettuce last year.
