Market Strong performance of EU agri-food exports continues

The value of the EU’s agri-food exports in August 2019 reached €12.07 bn., marking a rise of 5.6% compared to August 2018. As the value of imports decreased by 0.2% to €9.14 bn., the agri-food trade surplus for August stood at €2.93 bn., a 29% increase in the positive trade balance compared to last year’s figures.

Comparing in detail: export and import

Comparing the monthly export values of August 2019 with August 2018, the highest increases were recorded for China (up €283 mill.), the USA (a rise of €192 mill.), and Japan (an increase of €69 mill.). However, significant falls were recorded in the EU’s exports to Hong Kong, Libya (both down by €66 mill.) and Algeria (down €48 mill.).

In terms of imports, there was a rise in the value of the EU’s agri-food intake from Ukraine (up by €198 mill.), Brazil (rising by €94 mill.), and Canada (an increase of €74 mill.). At the other end of the table, there was a drop in the value of imports from the USA (down by €153 mill.), South Africa (a decrease of €59 mill.), and Indonesia (a fall of €51 mill.).

There was an increase in the export values of a number of product categories, e.g. pork (rising by €132 mill.). By contrast, there was a marked decrease in exports for live animals (€74 mill.) and raw hides and skins (€31 mill.).