Fruit Today magazine spoke with its General Director, Pablo Vilanova, who explained the dual trajectory of the market.
Mercabarna is an international market, both in its exports and imports. How are both evolving?
Imports are fairly stable, representing around 25%. In contrast, exports have been increasing year after year, and currently account for almost 40%.
We are seeing more and more international buyers who come here to source goods and then supply southern France, northern Italy, and Africa, as well as some countries in central and northern Europe.
Still, despite this international scope, local producers and production have always had a place in this market. Where do things stand now?
We’ve always supported small and medium-sized local farmers who, since the market’s inception, have had designated, well-located areas within the central market to sell their products directly. As a result, Mercabarna is the largest marketing channel for Catalan produce for domestic consumption. In fact, a third of Catalonia’s production (over 300,000t) goes through here.
Over the past three years, we’ve launched a project to further promote local commerce and agriculture, culminating in the ‘De Proximidad, Mercabarna’ campaign. First, we promoted the creation of the Mercabarna Farmers’ Association (APAM) to connect and support local producers operating here. We also organised regular B2B networking sessions between Mercabarna’s fruit and vegetable wholesalers and proximity growers from all over Catalonia, which have been very successful.
In terms of infrastructure, we have renovated the area dedicated to producers to modernise the facilities and give the space greater visibility within the market. By the end of 2025, we will also complete the renovation of the entire Agricultural Cooperatives Area.
Could you provide a comparison of volumes and turnover over the past two or three years, just for fruit and vegetables?
In 2023, Mercabarna’s fruit and vegetable sector traded 2,125,000 tonnes, 5.32% less than the previous year due to adverse weather. The average product price was 8.11% higher.
In 2024, however, we returned to our historic upward trend, reaching 2,312,000 tonnes traded—6% more than in 2023—with average prices 0.32% higher than in 2022. This was due to more favourable weather than in 2023 and the increase in international buyers and foodservice customers driven by tourism.
Can you tell us about the sustainability initiatives that have been carried out?
In addition to the ‘De Proximidad, Mercabarna’ campaign, we’ve continued our energy efficiency improvement plan. We’ve now installed solar panels on all buildings: the Central Markets for Fruits & Vegetables and Fish, Mercabarna-flor, Biomarket, Multiservice I & II, and both multi-storey car parks. Between July and September, we’ll begin generating electricity and supplying it to businesses.
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Furthermore, 70% of the companies in Mercabarna’s Complementary Activities Zone have already installed solar panels on their rooftops, and by the end of 2026, we expect to reach nearly 100%. This will mean a reduction of 6,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
We’ve also completed the modernisation of the Green Point, originally created in 2002, which allows us to recover 75% of the waste generated by companies operating in Mercabarna—about 23,000 tonnes annually.
In terms of innovation, what would you highlight?
The digital transformation of Mercabarna is one of our most important projects. Last year, we launched the Digital Transformation Office, which aims to create tools for centralised data collection and cross-analysis, to improve the experience for Mercabarna users and provide information that offers better market insights.
In 2024, we began collecting data on foot traffic in the various markets through Wi-Fi geolocation. Using artificial intelligence to analyse this data is allowing us to create predictive models to optimise decisions on schedules, processes, and services.
We are also working to improve the quality of the digital data and statistical information we manage (trade volumes, product prices, access volumes to the food unit…), which will enhance our ability to analyse and forecast market trends.
Mercabarna also offers significant training programmes. Can you explain?
At the beginning of the year, the Barcelona Food Institute and Mercabarna’s Job Guidance, Training, and Placement Services—both located within the wholesale market—began operating as an integrated centre with around 1,200 students. This allows us to coordinate training programmes, leverage synergies, optimise resources, fully implement dual vocational training (combining classroom learning with in-company internships), and promote innovation in businesses, particularly SMEs.
