The EU is the first exporter of agri-food products

The European Commission announced that the EU has become in 2013 the 1st exporter of food products, for an amount of € 120 billion.

At the same time, imports remained stable (-0.4%), which resulted in a trade surplus of € 18.6 billion, according to the European Commission.

These good results stem from an increase in sales of agricultural commodities (cereals, barley, wheat), particularly to the Middle East and North Africa that have increased their purchases by +5.8%. The best sales growth come from China (+19.7%) and Saudi Arabia (+20.4%). China is now the 2nd European food importer, at the same level as Russia, with a share of 10%. Sales in the United States have made little progress (+1.9%), but the U.S. market remains the No. 1 client, with a share of 13% of EU exports.

The agri-food sector accounts for 7% of total EU exports, in the 4th place behind the machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

source : romandie, terre net