The region of Murcia occupies 2.2% of the national territory and accounts for 20% of Spain's fruit and vegetable exports. It is recognized worldwide for its fruits and vegetables, ancestral knowledge of farming practices, unique conditions for organic farming, and high technology. Murcia's wide range of agricultural produce includes fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The region offers investment opportunities throughout the agri-food value chain - from seeds, agriculture, and agrotechnology, to fourth and fifth range agri-food products - all of which are supported by a strong logistics industry, in which the region of Murcia has the second largest fleet of trucks in Spain.
Spain is the second tourist destination in the world, and tourism in the region of Murcia is becoming more and more diverse. In addition to "sun and sand", the region is also recognized for its wine routes, hiking trails, water sports, archaeological sites, diving, and a gastronomy that is among the best in the country. The regional government has been promoting investment in the industry for two years. It has prepared a dossier of assets and designed specific incentives for their purchase and development.
The region's fleet of refrigerated trucks, the largest in Europe, specializes in the transport of fruit and vegetables, a sector that supplies European markets daily. The region of Murcia is located on a strategic rail, maritime and air transportation axis which, thanks to the multimodal transport of goods, optimizes the logistics chain. Logistics represents 21.13% of the region's GVA and 22.06% of its employment. The port of Cartagena, two ZAL projects (Murcia and Cartagena), and a network of 78 industrial parks have generated substantial investments in the industry in recent years.
Plastics and rubber is a long- established industry, due in part to the broad range of plastic products and materials that other industries in the region require. The impact of agri-food and agriculture has resulted in a strong plastics industry that supplies material for agriculture, packaging, fresh and processed food products, as well as fertigation equipment, tanks, and machinery. Other regional industries in need of Murcia's increasing production of plastics include furniture (foam rubber and specific materials), footwear (rubber and other materials processing) and construction (PVC carpentry and PVC profiles). The industry received the largest industrial investment made in Spain at the time with the sale of GE Plastics, later acquired by SABIC.
The services industry, which includes companies that deal in technology, development, and back-office services for major corporations, employs many people in the region. In Murcia, talent availability and quality, along with a high level of competitiveness, is key for large companies that are decentralizing their human resources. World-class companies like Everis or Capgemini have recently set up in the region, and are taking advantage of the talent in Murcia to expand their regional offices with more than 1,000 workers.