Monitoring EU Agri-Food Trade: Development until March 2017 March 2017: record value in monthly agri-food exports at EUR 12.7 billion The monthly value of EU agri-food exports in March 2017 reached a value of almost EUR 12.7 billion, which is EUR 1.31 billion (+11.3%) higher than in March 2016. This is the highest monthly export value seen over the last 5 years. Highest increases in monthly export values (March 2017 compared to March 2016) were recorded for the USA (EUR +199 million), Japan (EUR +112 million), Russia (EUR +98 million) and Switzerland (EUR +82 million). Other major gains in EU agri-food exports were in Korea, Hong Kong, Norway and Turkey. Monthly exports to Egypt reduced significantly in value (EUR -75 million) and relative terms (-38%), followed by Yemen (EUR -28 million), Algeria and Ethiopia. Among all products, wine and milk powders were the biggest winners in monthly export values, while wheat (EUR -152 million) further reduced in value terms. Oilseeds and poultry also lost some export value compared to March 2016. Monthly values for EU agri-food imports also increased in March 2017 compared to the year before (EUR +948 million; +9.6%). Imports from Indonesia and the USA increased most, while imports from Canada and Paraguay went down most. Major increases were seen in coffee, tropical fruits, fatty acids and oilcakes, while imports in wheat went down. Following the strong increase in exports, the trade balance in March 2017 improved by EUR +360 million compared to February 2016 reaching EUR 1.8 billion for March 2017.
Pig meat driving strong EU agri-food exports For the 12-months period April 2016 to March 2017, EU agri-food exports reached a value of EUR 133.5 billion, corresponding to an increase by 3.6% in value terms compared to the same period one year ago. Major gains were achieved in values of agri-food exports to the USA (EUR +1.4 billion; +7%) and China (EUR +0.9 billion; +8.3%). Further increases were recorded in agri-food exports to Japan (EUR +0.6 billion) and Korea (EUR +0.5 billion). Exports to Switzerland, Russia (for nonbanned products), Israel and Ukraine, each increased by more than EUR 200 million in the twelve-month period. While exports to Hong Kong recovered in March 2017, the exports over the 12-months period remain reduced (EUR -269 million; -7%). Annual export values also went down for North African and Middle East destinations, such as Egypt (EUR -442 million; -22%), Algeria (EUR -423 million; -14%) and Saudi Arabia (EUR -340 million; -7%), in particular due to a reduction in values of wheat and other cereal exports. Focusing on the EU export performance per product category over the last twelve months, it confirms the trend over the last periods. Pig meat exports recover (EUR +1.35 billion; +32% compared to export values in the 12-months period one year ago). Meat offal, other meat and fat (EUR +596 million; +25%), infant food (EUR +570 million; +9%) wine (EUR +545 million; +5%), and olive oil (EUR +395 million; +17%) exports further improved. While other cereals exports increased in March 2017 this product category still expresses the biggest drop on an annual base (EUR -906 million; -33%), closely followed by wheat exports (EUR -739 million; -13%). Raw hides and skins (EUR -687 million; -29%) and milk powders (EUR -321 million; -8%) also lost in export values over the last 12 months. EU agri-food imports increasing further Agri-food imports from third countries in the 12- months period April 2016 to March 2017 accounted for over EUR 114 billion, i.e. an increase by 0.5% compared to the same period one year ago. Nevertheless, driven by the strong export performance, the export surplus for the 12-months period increased to EUR 19.2 billion. Main origins for EU agri-food imports over the past 12 months were Brazil, USA, Argentina and China, followed by Switzerland, Turkey, Indonesia, Ukraine and Ivory Coast. On the year-on-year basis, the value of agri-food imports from top three importers went down. Imports from the USA decreased by EUR -756 million (-6%) and from Brazil by EUR -682 million or -5%. For Argentina the decrease is smaller at -1%. Also other partners such as Turkey, Tunisia, New Zealand and the Ukraine lost market share. On the other hand, Ivory Coast increased most (EUR +384 million, +12%). Over the 12 months period, EU import values for agri-food products also went up for Indonesia (EUR +301 million; +7%) and Vietnam (EUR +285 million; +13%). Less traditional sources of imports such as Nigeria (EUR +248 million; +57%), and Ghana (EUR +236 million; +17%) increased significantly. Looking at imports per product category, the highest increase in values over the last 12 months was for cocoa beans (EUR +989 million; +25%). Imports also increased in particular for vegetables (EUR +385 million; +9%), oilseeds other than soya beans (EUR +324 million; +10%), and citrus fruit (EUR +293 million; +17%). On the other hand, import values decreased in particular for commodities such as oilcakes (EUR -899 million; -11%), and wheat (EUR -393 million; -25%). Data extraction: 12/05/2017
Table 1: EU28 agri-food exports top 20 destinations EU28 agri-food exports to. Apr16 - to Apr15 - to Extra-EU28 128,932 133,546 4,615 3.6 11,381 12,690 1,309 11.5 United States of America 1 19,850 21,203 1,353 6.8 1,750 1,949 199 11.3 China 2 10,732 11,620 888 8.3 1,024 1,062 37 3.6 Switzerland 3 7,686 8,040 354 4.6 723 805 82 11.4 Japan 4 5,368 5,986 619 11.5 442 554 112 25.5 Russia 5 5,593 5,925 332 5.9 505 604 98 19.5 Saudi Arabia 6 4,858 4,518-340 -7.0 461 496 36 7.8 Norway 7 4,150 4,335 185 4.5 360 404 44 12.1 Hong Kong 8 4,074 3,806-269 -6.6 311 366 55 17.7 Canada 9 3,418 3,440 21 0.6 306 316 9 3.1 Turkey 10 3,337 3,230-107 -3.2 306 347 42 13.6 United Arab Emirates 11 3,090 3,207 117 3.8 262 292 30 11.5 Australia 12 2,865 3,045 180 6.3 236 261 25 10.5 Korea (Republic of) 13 2,308 2,811 503 21.8 202 269 67 33.4 Algeria 14 2,991 2,567-423 -14.2 245 229-16 -6.7 Singapore 15 2,059 2,016-44 -2.1 159 167 8 5.0 South Africa 16 1,698 1,779 81 4.8 140 153 13 9.2 Israel 17 1,540 1,765 225 14.6 140 168 28 19.8 Morocco 18 1,535 1,659 124 8.1 183 184 1 0.6 Ukraine 19 1,406 1,591 185 13.2 163 185 21 12.9 Egypt 20 2,031 1,590-442 -21.7 200 125-75 -37.6 other countries 38,343 39,414 1,071 2.8 3,262 3,755 493 15.1 Table 2: EU28 agri-food exports most important changes in March 2017 EU28 agri-food exports to. Apr16 - to Apr15 - to Extra-EU28 128,932 133,546 4,615 3.6 11,381 12,690 1,309 11.5 United States of America 1 19,850 21,203 1,353 6.8 1,750 1,949 199 11.3 Japan 4 5,368 5,986 619 11.5 442 554 112 25.5 Russia 5 5,593 5,925 332 5.9 505 604 98 19.5 Switzerland 3 7,686 8,040 354 4.6 723 805 82 11.4 Korea (Republic of) 13 2,308 2,811 503 21.8 202 269 67 33.4 Hong Kong 8 4,074 3,806-269 -6.6 311 366 55 17.7 Norway 7 4,150 4,335 185 4.5 360 404 44 12.1 Turkey 10 3,337 3,230-107 -3.2 306 347 42 13.6 Vietnam 22 1,116 1,509 392 35.1 97 135 38 39.2 China 2 10,732 11,620 888 8.3 1,024 1,062 37 3.6 Equatorial Guinea 87 165 147-18 -11.1 13 9-4 -32.1 Uruguay 81 172 170-2 -1.2 18 14-4 -24.4 Sri Lanka 98 103 111 8 8.0 17 10-7 -42.5 Tanzania 100 102 108 5 5.0 18 11-8 -42.6 Djibouti 104 100 91-10 -9.7 15 7-9 -55.3 Jordan 36 817 788-29 -3.6 83 73-9 -11.4 Ethiopia 80 245 170-75 -30.7 21 8-12 -59.9 Algeria 14 2,991 2,567-423 -14.2 245 229.0-16 -6.7 Yemen 59 291 267-25 -8.4 50 21.2-28 -57.2 Egypt 20 2,031 1,590-442 -21.7 200 124.8-75 -37.6 other countries 57,700 59,074 1,375 2.4 4,980 5,689 709 14.2
Table 3: EU28 agri-food exports by product category PRODUCT/PERIOD to EU28 EXPORT mio % mio % All agri-food products 128,932 133,546 4,615 3.6 11,381 12,690 1,309 11.5 Commodities 24,744 23,777-967 -3.9 2,295 2,484 189 8.2 Other primary 21,517 23,938 2,421 11.3 1,939 2,162 223 11.5 Processed 23,538 25,137 1,599 6.8 2,024 2,389 365 18.0 Food preparations 26,759 28,275 1,517 5.7 2,324 2,577 253 10.9 Beverages 17,289 17,588 299 1.7 1,441 1,530 89 6.2 Non-edible 15,084 14,831-254 -1.7 1,357 1,548 191 14.0 Wheat 5,772 5,033-739 -12.8 614 462-152 -24.7 Cereals, other than wheat and rice 2,760 1,854-906 -32.8 248 277 28 11.3 Rice 188 209 21 11.2 17 27 10 59.7 Flours and other products of the milling industry 764 822 58 7.6 73 78 5 6.6 Malt 1,093 1,028-65 -6.0 92 90-2 -1.9 Starches, inulin & gluten 843 971 129 15.3 76 102 26 34.2 Soyabeans 66 79 13 19.7 3 3 0 5.1 Oilseeds, other than soyabeans 718 815 97 13.6 117 98-19 -16.3 Palm & palm kernel oil 118 178 60 50.7 9 21 12 126.3 Vegetable oils other than palm & olive oil 2,244 2,436 192 8.5 187 260 73 39.2 Oilcakes 312 293-19 -6.1 20 25 5 22.6 Other feed and feed ingredients 1,136 1,124-13 -1.1 94 105 11 11.9 Beet and cane sugar 473 677 204 43.2 34 47 14 41.5 Sugar, other than beet & cane 501 525 24 4.7 45 51 6 12.4 Milk powders and whey 4,050 3,729-321 -7.9 326 440 114 34.9 Butter 748 842 94 12.6 78 99 21 27.4 Gums, resins and plant extracts 1,138 1,175 37 3.3 106 118 11 10.8 Unraosted coffee, tea in bulk & mate 491 541 50 10.1 45 49 5 10.6 Cocoa beans 15 20 5 35.2 2 1-1 -58.0 Cocoa paste and powder 1,256 1,370 115 9.1 105 125 19 18.3 Agricultural commodities, not specified 59 56-3 -5.5 4 6 2 50.5 Live animals 2,466 2,640 173 7.0 181 187 5 2.8 Bovine meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 629 741 112 17.9 55 75 20 36.5 Pork meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 4,170 5,517 1,347 32.3 414 506 92 22.2 Poultry meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 1,554 1,433-121 -7.8 127 121-7 -5.2 Sheep and goat meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 94 95 1 1.0 7 14 7 102.6 Offal, animal fat & other meats, fresh, chilled & frozen 2,423 3,019 596 24.6 220 273 53 24.2 Fresh milk and cream, buttermilk and yoghurt 1,025 1,126 101 9.9 102 105 2 2.3 Eggs and honey 782 655-126 -16.2 64 73 9 13.4 Vegetables, fresh, chilled and dried 3,008 3,183 175 5.8 265 268 3 1.1 Fruit, fresh or dried, excl. citrus & tropical fruit 2,492 2,451-41 -1.7 207 214 7 3.4 Citrus fruit 518 500-18 -3.5 62 62-1 -1.1 Tropical fruit, fresh or dried, nuts and spices 943 1,017 74 7.9 81 102 21 26.5 Miscellaneous seeds and hop cones 1,413 1,560 147 10.4 153 163 10 6.7 Agricultural primary products, not specified 0 1 1 0 0 0 Meat preparations 1,251 1,257 6 0.5 101 114 13 12.4 Cheese 3,526 3,728 202 5.7 309 363 54 17.5 Olive oil 2,326 2,721 395 17.0 217 264 48 21.9 Preparations of vegetables, fruit or nuts 4,134 4,466 332 8.0 365 427 62 17.0 Fruit juices 753 832 80 10.6 69 85 16 22.9 Wine, vermouth, cider and vinegar 10,488 11,033 545 5.2 876 1,034 158 18.1 Roasted coffee and tea 1,061 1,099 38 3.6 87 101 14 16.6 Chocolate, confectionery and ice cream 5,160 5,290 130 2.5 391 443 52 13.4 Infant food & other prep of cereals, flour, starch or milk 6,226 6,796 570 9.2 577 658 81 14.1 Pasta, pastry, biscuits and bread 4,607 4,778 171 3.7 377 423 46 12.3 Soups and sauces 1,177 1,226 49 4.2 101 118 17 16.7 Coffee and tea extracts 800 765-35 -4.4 70 71 1 1.8 Food preparations, not specified 5,397 5,669 271 5.0 512 512 0 0.1 Pet food 3,391 3,751 360 10.6 297 352 55 18.3 Waters and soft drinks 3,375 3,525 150 4.4 307 329 22 7.3 Beer 3,327 3,491 164 4.9 287 316 28 9.9 Spirits and liqueurs 10,327 10,321-7 -0.1 827 861 34 4.2 Odoriferous substances 260 252-8 -3.1 20 25 4 21.3 Raw hides, skins and furskins 2,403 1,716-687 -28.6 264 316 53 20.0 Non edible animal products 433 437 5 1.1 34 45 11 32.0 Wool and silk 181 139-42 -23.2 16 13-2 -15.1 Cotton, flax and hemp, and plaiting materials 787 850 63 8.0 75 76 1 1.6 Cut flowers and plants 693 692-1 -0.2 65 71 6 9.7 Bulbs, roots and live plants 1,574 1,695 121 7.7 175 207 33 18.7 Raw tobacco 938 972 33 3.5 72 74 3 3.6 Cigars and cigarettes 3,208 3,504 295 9.2 269 328 59 21.9 Fatty acids and waxes 542 529-13 -2.4 48 49 1 2.1 Sugar alcohols 140 127-13 -9.4 10 12 2 25.4 Essential oils 585 636 51 8.8 54 66 12 22.7 Ethanol 142 164 23 16.0 11 15 4 39.9 Casein, other albuminoidal sub. & mod. starches 1,936 1,951 16 0.8 162 177 15 9.2 Non-edible, not specified 1,356 1,270-86 -6.4 91 85-5 -5.9 Products non-attributable 167 149-18 -10.5 14 13-1 -10.3 Mar 17 to Mar 16
Table 4: EU28 agri-food imports top 20 origins EU28 agri-food imports from. Apr16 - to Apr15 - to Extra-EU28 113,794 114,339 545 0.5 9,898 10,846 948 9.6 Brazil 1 12,861 12,178-682 -5.3 875 984 109 12.4 United States of America 2 11,903 11,146-756 -6.4 990 1,123 133 13.5 Argentina 3 6,057 5,971-85 -1.4 514 552 37 7.2 China 4 5,160 5,099-62 -1.2 429 435 6 1.4 Switzerland 5 4,627 4,703 76 1.6 400 428 28 7.0 Turkey 6 4,958 4,611-347 -7.0 376 379 4 0.9 Indonesia 7 4,272 4,572 301 7.0 331 482 151 45.8 Ukraine 8 4,294 4,172-123 -2.9 464 474 10 2.1 Ivory Coast 9 3,267 3,651 384 11.8 303 327 24 8.0 India 10 2,958 2,839-120 -4.0 279 314 35 12.7 South Africa 11 2,444 2,566 122 5.0 228 243 15 6.7 Vietnam 12 2,232 2,516 285 12.8 172 232 60 35.2 Thailand 13 2,485 2,354-131 -5.3 208 228 20 9.7 Chile 14 2,432 2,334-98 -4.0 238 230-8 -3.4 New Zealand 15 2,480 2,267-213 -8.6 236 215-21 -8.8 Canada 16 2,258 2,251-7 -0.3 211 181-31 -14.5 Peru 17 1,973 2,197 224 11.3 151 148-3 -2.1 Colombia 18 2,105 2,142 37 1.7 195 200 5 2.5 Australia 19 2,143 2,128-16 -0.7 197 230 33 16.7 Malaysia 20 2,216 2,035-181 -8.2 184 214 31 16.8 other countries 30,669 32,606 1,937 6.3 2,917 3,227 309 10.6 Table 5: EU28 agri-food imports most important changes in March 2017 EU28 agri-food imports from. Apr16 - to Apr15 - to Extra-EU28 113,794 114,339 545 0.5 9,898 10,846 948 9.6 Indonesia 7 4,272 4,572 301 7.0 331 482 151 45.8 United States of America 2 11,903 11,146-756 -6.4 990 1,123 133 13.5 Brazil 1 12,861 12,178-682 -5.3 875 984 109 12.4 Vietnam 12 2,232 2,516 285 12.8 172 232 60 35.2 Argentina 3 6,057 5,971-85 -1.4 514 552 37 7.2 India 10 2,958 2,839-120 -4.0 279 314 35 12.7 Australia 19 2,143 2,128-16 -0.7 197 230 33 16.7 Morocco 21 1,897 2,034 137 7.2 257 289 33 12.7 Malaysia 20 2,216 2,035-181 -8.2 184 214 31 16.8 Serbia 27 1,045 1,209 163 15.6 92 121 29 32.1 Belize 73 132 102-30 -22.7 17 9-8 -48.4 Dominican Republic 38 564 586 23 4.0 44 36-9 -19.4 Benin 112 37 15-21 -58.0 9 0-9 -97.0 Russia 25 1,436 1,417-18 -1.3 135 124-11 -8.2 Tunisia 44 731 450-281 -38.4 49 37-12 -23.9 Fiji 93 72 43-29 -40.5 18 6-12 -67.4 Guatemala 36 620 695 75 12.0 63 48-15 -24.3 New Zealand 15 2,480 2,267-213 -8.6 236 215-21 -8.8 Paraguay 31 899 912 13 1.4 78 57-21 -27.2 Canada 16 2,258 2,251-7 -0.3 211 181-31 -14.5 other countries 56,982 58,970 1,989 3.5 5,147 5,592 445 8.6
Table 6: EU28 agri-food imports by product category PRODUCT/PERIOD to EU 28 IMPORT mio % mio % All agri-food products 113.794 114.339 545 0,5 9.898 10.846 948 9,6 Commodities 47.176 47.885 709 1,5 3.998 4.367 370 9,2 Other primary 31.514 31.610 96 0,3 2.976 3.086 110 3,7 Processed 13.954 12.985-968 -6,9 1.094 1.095 1 0,0 Food preparations 6.799 7.065 266 3,9 581 683 102 17,6 Beverages 2.798 2.942 144 5,1 229 258 29 12,6 Non-edible 11.553 11.852 299 2,6 1.020 1.357 338 33,1 Wheat 1.614 1.220-393 -24,4 160 120-40 -24,9 Cereals, other than wheat and rice 2.540 2.287-253 -9,9 256 261 5 2,0 Rice 1.144 1.040-104 -9,1 94 114 20 21,5 Flours and other products of the milling industry 169 166-3 -1,8 17 16-1 -5,9 Malt 1 7 6 0 1 1 157,2 Starches, inulin & gluten 57 53-4 -6,8 5 7 1 27,7 Soyabeans 5.121 5.406 285 5,6 423 447 24 5,6 Oilseeds, other than soyabeans 3.330 3.655 324 9,7 328 356 27 8,3 Palm & palm kernel oil 5.603 5.727 124 2,2 432 484 51 11,9 Vegetable oils other than palm & olive oil 2.095 2.359 264 12,6 218 220 2 1,0 Oilcakes 8.311 7.412-899 -10,8 606 667 61 10,1 Other feed and feed ingredients 911 891-20 -2,2 72 97 25 33,9 Beet and cane sugar 1.286 1.489 203 15,8 108 137 29 27,2 Sugar, other than beet & cane 443 445 1 0,3 41 39-2 -4,8 Milk powders and whey 45 46 1 1,7 4 5 1 17,9 Butter 68 53-14 -21,4 5 1-4 -79,3 Gums, resins and plant extracts 945 934-11 -1,2 90 90 0-0,2 Unraosted coffee, tea in bulk & mate 7.604 7.835 231 3,0 619 750 131 21,1 Cocoa beans 3.911 4.899 989 25,3 364 416 51 14,1 Cocoa paste and powder 1.964 1.926-37 -1,9 153 139-14 -8,9 Agricultural commodities, not specified 16 35 19 120,7 0 0 0-0,7 Live animals 269 283 14 5,0 13 14 1 10,1 Bovine meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 1.804 1.748-56 -3,1 147 118-28 -19,3 Pork meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 36 30-6 -17,6 3 3 0-8,4 Poultry meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 339 296-43 -12,6 26 24-2 -8,4 Sheep and goat meat, fresh, chilled and frozen 1.067 903-163 -15,3 158 147-12 -7,3 Offal, animal fat & other meats, fresh, chilled & frozen 1.116 1.040-76 -6,8 87 91 4 4,7 Fresh milk and cream, buttermilk and yoghurt 29 26-2 -7,5 3 2-1 -24,9 Eggs and honey 562 501-61 -10,9 37 42 4 11,5 Vegetables, fresh, chilled and dried 4.441 4.826 385 8,7 567 576 9 1,6 Fruit, fresh or dried, excl. citrus & tropical fruit 5.971 6.048 77 1,3 625 656 31 5,0 Citrus fruit 1.770 2.063 293 16,5 109 117 8 7,5 Tropical fruit, fresh or dried, nuts and spices 13.402 13.118-284 -2,1 1.132 1.217 85 7,5 Miscellaneous seeds and hop cones 707 724 18 2,5 68 78 10 14,0 Agricultural primary products, not specified 1 3 2 0 0 0 74,9 Meat preparations 2.248 2.105-143 -6,4 179 174-5 -2,6 Cheese 440 438-2 -0,5 43 39-4 -9,2 Olive oil 642 311-331 -51,5 35 27-9 -24,1 Preparations of vegetables, fruit or nuts 3.795 3.531-264 -7,0 281 315 34 12,2 Fruit juices 2.360 2.242-117 -5,0 191 158-32 -16,9 Wine, vermouth, cider and vinegar 2.843 2.692-152 -5,3 218 226 7 3,4 Roasted coffee and tea 1.626 1.667 41 2,5 147 155 8 5,5 Chocolate, confectionery and ice cream 1.182 1.199 18 1,5 91 100 9 10,3 Infant food & other prep of cereals, flour, starch or milk 399 408 9 2,2 35 51 16 45,2 Pasta, pastry, biscuits and bread 1.227 1.268 40 3,3 105 117 12 11,0 Soups and sauces 668 702 34 5,1 60 66 6 9,8 Coffee and tea extracts 531 521-10 -1,9 43 49 6 13,7 Food preparations, not specified 1.733 1.834 100 5,8 145 185 40 27,3 Pet food 1.059 1.134 75 7,1 101 114 14 13,6 Waters and soft drinks 947 1.000 53 5,6 88 90 2 2,4 Beer 300 380 79 26,4 29 36 7 22,3 Spirits and liqueurs 1.538 1.544 7 0,4 109 131 21 19,6 Odoriferous substances 13 18 4 32,0 2 1-1 -57,5 Raw hides, skins and furskins 714 672-42 -5,8 57 79 22 38,1 Non edible animal products 346 360 14 4,1 30 34 4 14,2 Wool and silk 828 913 84 10,1 88 87-1 -1,3 Cotton, flax and hemp, and plaiting materials 586 520-65 -11,1 50 59 9 16,9 Cut flowers and plants 1.322 1.312-10 -0,8 122 131 10 7,8 Bulbs, roots and live plants 830 877 47 5,7 83 89 6 7,7 Raw tobacco 2.654 2.278-376 -14,2 241 234-7 -2,9 Cigars and cigarettes 263 314 51 19,4 26 26 0-0,1 Fatty acids and waxes 1.499 1.799 300 20,0 118 192 74 62,9 Sugar alcohols 21 23 2 9,9 2 1 0-22,7 Essential oils 921 944 23 2,5 82 93 11 13,6 Ethanol 351 256-95 -27,1 34 14-19 -57,6 Casein, other albuminoidal sub. & mod. starches 752 671-81 -10,7 58 64 6 10,8 Non-edible, not specified 5 33 27 0 15 15 Products non-attributable 462 880 418 90,5 29 237 208 727,3 Mar 17 to Mar 16