Agricultural exports hit record level
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Last year, imports of agricultural goods rose by 3.7 percent to an estimated total value of 64.1 billion euros over 2019. The agricultural trade surplus exceeded the amount of 30 billion euros for the first time, ending at 30.5 billion euros. Agricultural trade accounts for almost 55 percent of the total surplus in goods trade.
Price developments play an important role in the growth in export value. Around two-thirds of the export growth is due to increases in price, while one-third is on account of volume growth. In imports, price and volume each account for approximately half of the value growth.
Value of pork exports to China has tripled
At 9.5 billion euros, the highest export value in agricultural goods last year was achieved with ornamental horticultural products such as fresh flowers, plants, bulbs and nursery products. These were followed by meat (8.8 billion), dairy and eggs (8.6 billion), vegetables (7.3 billion), fruit (6.2 billion) and beverages (5.8 billion).
The export value of meat increased by 8 percent last year. The export to China of pig meat (not including slaughterhouse waste) in particular rose sharply from 117 million euros in 2018 to an estimated 377 million euros in 2019. This is related to outbreaks of African swine fever in large parts of Asia, which have boosted Chinese demand for pork from elsewhere and driven up price levels.
Bulk of agricultural exports domestically produced
The export of agricultural goods includes both Dutch domestic products (68.5 billion euros) and re-exports (26 billion euros). In 2019, the Netherlands earned an estimated amount of 41.9 billion euros in export revenues; this is 3.7 percent more than in 2018 (40.4 billion euros).
Dutch domestic exports account for 92 percent of total export revenues, with the remaining 8 percent generated by re-exports.
| Dutch-made (bn euros) | Re-exports (bn euros) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ornamental horticulture | 8.4 | 1.1 |
| Meat | 7.8 | 1.0 |
| Dairy, eggs | 7.0 | 1.6 |
| Vegetables | 6.1 | 1.2 |
| Fruits | 1.3 | 4.9 |
| Beverages | 4.2 | 1.7 |
| Processed fruits and vegetables | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| Preparations of cereals, flour or milk | 4.4 | 0.7 |
| Food processing residues, livestock feed | 3.3 | 1.4 |
| Cocoa preparations | 2.9 | 1.8 |
| Source: CBS, WUR | ||
| *Based on estimates | ||
Quarter of agricultural exports are to Germany
Similar to previous years, Germany was the top destination of agricultural exports from the Netherlands in 2019, with a total export value of 23.6 billion euros (25 percent), followed by Belgium (11 percent), the United Kingdom (9 percent) and France (8 percent) and Italy (4 percent).
Exports to Germany (+4 percent on 2018) and Belgium (+5 percent) grew more rapidly than exports to the United Kingdom and France (both +1 percent). The most significant riser in the top ten of export markets was China (+22 percent). Aside from growing demand for Dutch pork, there has been increasing demand for Dutch baby milk powder among other products.
| Countries | Export value ( bn euros) |
|---|---|
| Germany | 23.6 |
| Belgium | 10.8 |
| UK | 8.7 |
| France | 7.7 |
| Italy | 3.6 |
| China | 3.0 |
| Spain | 2.8 |
| Poland | 2.6 |
| US | 2.6 |
| Sweden | 2.1 |
| Source: CBS, WUR | |
| *Based on estimates | |
Exports of agriculture-related goods at record high
The export value of agriculture-related goods (e.g. agricultural machinery and fertilisers) rose by 8.3 percent to a record level of 9.9 billion euros in 2019. With an export value of 104.4 billion euros, total exports of agricultural and agriculture-related goods exceeded the 100 billion euro-mark for the first time.
Germany (1.5 billion euros), Belgium (1.0 billion euros), France (0.9 billion euros), the United Kingdom (0.7 billion euros) and the United States (0.6 billion euros) occupied a combined share of 47 percent in the export of agriculture-related goods last year. The four European countries mainly import fertilisers and agricultural machinery, while the United States mainly imports agricultural and machinery for the food industry.
Agricultural machinery and machinery for the food industry together account for more than half of the total export earnings from agriculture-related goods.