The latest monthly report on agri-food trade published today (Friday November 13) shows that EU agri-food trade remained strong during January to July 2020, compared to the same period last year.
EU27 (member state) exports for January to July 2020 reached a total value of €105.5 billion – an increase of 2.1% compared to the same period in 2019, despite declines in imports and exports to the UK.
EU27 imports attained a value of €72.6 billion – an increase of 1.7%. As a result, for the first seven months of 2020, the agri-food export surplus stood at €32.9 billion, an increase of 3% compared to the same period in 2019.
Source: European Commission
Chinese and other markets
China continued to be the largest destination of growth for EU agri-food exports. Increased sales of pig meat; wheat; offal meat; and infant food propelled a growth of €2.55 billion compared to the same period last year.
EU exports, such as barley and wheat, also performed strongly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, most prominently in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Algeria.
The value of EU agri-food exports also rose in Switzerland and Ukraine.
A decrease of €452 million was recorded in the value of EU exports to the USA, led by spirits and wine; fruit juices; and cheese, while the value of agri-food imports dropped by €451 million, mainly due to a fall in the EU’s intake of US soya beans.
Decline in European agri-food exports to UK
The value of agri-food imports from the UK fell by €927 million and the value of EU27 exports to the United Kingdom fell by €359 million.
The strongest growths in export values were recorded in the cases of pig meat and wheat, followed by coarse grains; rapeseed; and sunflower oils.