Government officials in Andalucia have warned that new US tariffs on EU goods will deal a serious blow to the region’s agri-food exports, particularly its lucrative olive and wine sectors.
The Regional Minister of Employment, Business and Self-Employment, Rocio Blanco, said the 15% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump will ‘significantly’ affect green olives, black olives, table olives and wine.
Speaking in Algeciras on Friday, Blanco said the regional government is working to ‘promote the opening of new markets’ so exporters ‘do not lose the market niches they currently have in the United States.’
Andalucia exports around €3.084billion worth of goods to the US annually, with more than €1billion coming from the agri-food sector.
Blanco said the exact impact of the tariffs is still being calculated, but it will ‘certainly’ be significant – with olives and wine facing ‘severe’ consequences.
On olive oil, however, Blanco said the effect may be less dramatic. She noted price fluctuations of ‘almost €10 per litre’ and argued that American consumers ‘believe that olive oil is associated with improved health and will pay the tariff.’
Blanco pointed to recent trade missions as part of the government’s strategy to diversify markets, citing a trip to China which increased Andalusian exports there by 16%.
Regional president Juanma Moreno also enjoyed a recent and a visit to Japan, which Blanco said ‘has brought significant investments to Andalucia.’
According to figures from the Carolina España, the Minister of Economy, Finance and European Funds, the tariffs could cost Andalusia 9,282 jobs – equivalent to a 0.26% reduction in employment – and cut GDP by 0.23 percentage points, or €509 million.
These figures, she said, reflect not only direct hits to exporters but also the knock-on effect on suppliers, logistics, and related industries across Andalucia’s rural economy.
According to España, olive and wine producers are the most exposed, with smaller family-run operations facing the toughest challenge in absorbing costs or finding alternative buyers outside the US market.
In Jaen, Cordoba, and Sevilla, olive oil and table olive producers are among the most at risk, while in Malaga and Cadiz, it is wine exporters, particularly smaller bodegas.
