The origin of the spinach is centred in the Southwest of Asia. It was introduced by the Arabs in Spain during the XIth century and afterwards in Europe.
The data of the FAO publication from 2000 indicate that the world-wide production is 7,755,161 t, distributed by continents in the following way:
Continent | Tons |
---|
Africa | 85,000 |
Asia | 6,872,577 |
Europe | 512,675 |
North and Central America | 266,890 |
Oceania | 7,200 |
South America | 10,819 |
Total | 7,755,161 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (2000) (
http://www.fao.org )
The continent with larger production of spinach in the world is Asia.
The main producing countries are:
Country | Tons |
---|
China | 6,012,000 |
Japan | 329,100 |
The United States of America | 247,090 |
Turkey | 190,000 |
France | 130,000 |
Korea | 129,000 |
Italy | 85,367 |
Pakistan | 80,212 |
Indonesia | 61,124 |
Germany | 60,503 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (2000) (
http://www.fao.org )
Practically the totality of the world-wide production comes from China, that generates 6,012,000 t. It is followed by Japan, with an annual production of 329,100 t.
In 2000, Spain produced 46,000 t of spinach. In relation to other European countries, specially from the north, the produce obtained in the Iberian Peninsula is of a very good quality, tastier, with more intense coloration, more dry matter and a potential lower content of nitrates, since its accumulation is related to low levels of solar radiation.
67,553 tons of spinach were imported in the world. The distribution of the 1999 imports by continents is shown in the following table:
Continent | Imports in Tons |
---|
Africa | 37 |
Asia | 2,614 |
Europe | 44,183 |
North and Central America | 20,665 |
Oceania | 21 |
South America | 33 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
Europe is the continent with greater amount of spinach import, followed by North and Central America.
The main import countries are, in the first place, Canada, followed by the Netherlands and Belgium-Luxembourg. The ten first world-wide importers are included in the table below:
Country | Tons |
---|
Canada | 18,157 |
The Netherlands | 13,411 |
Belgium-Luxembourg | 13,066 |
Germany | 7,998 |
United Kingdom | 4,937 |
Singapore | 2,219 |
The United States of America | 1,636 |
France | 1,057 |
Switzerland | 1,048 |
Mexico | 826 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
Spain hardly imported spinach in 1999. It only imported 105 tons.
The world-wide imports in 1999 amounted to 40,493 thousand dollars. Canada was the country with greater investment in its imports, followed by United Kingdom and Germany. The 10 first countries classified according to the monetary value of their imports in 1999 were:
Country | Thousand dollars |
---|
Canada | 13,599 |
United Kingdom | 8,132 |
Germany | 4,676 |
The Netherlands | 2,556 |
Belgium-Luxembourg | 2,330 |
Switzerland | 1,463 |
Singapore | 1,395 |
The United States of America | 1,146 |
France | 1,038 |
Mexico | 678 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
The Spanish imports amounted to 272 thousand dollars in 1999.
71,705 tons of spinach were exported in the world according to FAO data from 1999. The distribution of the 1999 exports by continents is as follows:
Continent | Exports in Tons |
---|
Africa | 12 |
Asia | 11,986 |
Europe | 37,142 |
North and Central America | 22,560 |
Oceania | 3 |
South America | 2 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
The continent with larger export of spinach is Europe, followed by North and Central America and Asia.
The main exporters are, in the first place, the United States of America, followed by the Netherlands. The ten first world-wide export countries are shown in the table below:
Country | Tons |
---|
The United States of America | 17,823 |
The Netherlands | 21,264 |
Italy | 8,638 |
Malaysia | 8,375 |
Mexico | 4,303 |
China | 2,534 |
Spain | 2,327 |
Germany | 2,201 |
France | 1,229 |
Cyprus | 1,036 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
Spain exported in 1999 two thousand three hundred and twenty-seven tons of spinach, the seventh exporter in the world-wide ranking.
The world-wide exports in 1999 amounted to 38,108 thousand dollars. The country with greater investment in its exports were the United States of America. The following table includes the ten first export countries classified by monetary value:
Country | Thousand dollars |
---|
The United States of America | 13,727 |
Italy | 8,622 |
The Netherlands | 2,924 |
Spain | 2,636 |
Malaysia | 1,894 |
Mexico | 1,841 |
France | 1,594 |
Portugal | 976 |
Cyprus | 910 |
Belgium-Luxembourg | 644 |
Source: FAOSTAT Database Results (1999) (
http://www.fao.org )
Spain invested 2,636 thousand dollars in spinach export, the fourth place in the world-wide ranking.
The total surface devoted to the culture of spinach in Spain amounts to 1,665 ha; the production estimated in 1999 by provinces was as follows:
Area | Hectares | Tons |
---|
Navarra | 364 | 8,034 |
Barcelona | 335 | 4,807 |
Badajoz | 200 | 2,400 |
Valencia | 120 | 2,280 |
Albacete | 141 | 2,080 |
Córdoba | 127 | 1,934 |
Lleida | 103 | 1,622 |
Zaragoza | 107 | 1,487 |
Murcia | 67 | 1,486 |
Tarragona | 101 | 1,422 |
Source: La Horticultura Española (2001)
SECH, Sociedad Española de Ciencias Hortícolas
It is observed that the culture of this vegetable in Spain is centred in Navarra. Barcelona has also an important output. The region of Murcia has a high production of spinach as compared to the amount of soil cultivated.