Total exports of agrarian food products from the member states of the European Union (EU) this year amounted to around € 63 billion between January and April. This is an increase of 1.7% compared to the same period in 2020. Imports fell 5.1% to EUR 40.3 billion, mainly as a result of a sharp fall in purchases from the UK.

This is shown by a report from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG Agri). The figures represent an increase from 17% to EUR 22.7 billion in the Union’s trade surplus in agri-food.

Exports in April 2021 were 7.7 percent lower than in March. However, exports were 9.8 percent higher than in April 2020. The United Kingdom, the United States (US), China, Switzerland and Russia accounted for 51% of EU agricultural sales abroad.

EU exports to the United Kingdom fell 806 million euros in the first four months of the year (-6 percent) compared to the same period in 2020. Remarkable declines over the four months, at their cigars, and cigarettes (-126 million), pork (-121 million) and preparations of vegetables, fruit or nuts (-106) million. There were significant increases bulbs, roots and live plants – (+164 million), wine (+€139 million) and cut flowers, and plants+for 126 million euros).

Other destinations for which exports fell in the last four months were Saudi Arabia (-189 million euros, -13 percent), South Africa (-137 million euros, -22 percent) Japan (-129 million euros, -5.4 percent) and Egypt (-95 million euros, -13 percent).

The biggest increase in export values over the four months was for China with an increase of 912 million euros (+16 percent). This was still driven mainly by an increase in EU exports in value of pork (+ 337 million euro), coarse cereals (+ 217 million euro) and rapeseed and sunflower oil (+ 157 million euro).

Exports to the US for the period January to April increased 7.1 percent, accounting for 488 million euros. Export value increases compared to the first four months of 2020 included spirits (+185 million euro), wine (+136 million euro), but also olive oil (+45 million euro) and chocolate and confectionery (+41 million euro). Switzerland was in third place in terms of export value during the period in question. This represents an increase of 9.7% to EUR 297 million, mainly thanks to wine.

The largest of the falls on a per category about four months, and for wheat (-1,024 billion, and were 32 percent), child nutrition (-432 million, -14 per cent), oil (-118 million, -22 per cent), fresh, chilled vegetables (-114 million, -5,2%), and poultry (-113 million, down 13 per cent).

The largest increase was for the wine – (+741 million, up 18 per cent), spirits and liqueurs (+379 million, +19%), pork (+353 million, a+, or 10.5 million), rapeseed and sunflower oil (+ 307 million, + 29%), and bulbs, roots and live plants – (+261 million, +27%). Wine, pork, pasta and bakery products, chocolate and confectionery and food preparations accounted for more than 26% of EU-27 agri-food exports.