EU agri-food exports continue their strong start to the year, with the month of May breaking records. In total exports grew by €12.8 billion, 13.0% above the same period last year. This was accompanied by an increase in import, which rose to €10.7 billion - 6% above the level of May 2018. As a result, the monthly agri-food trade surplus stood at €2.1 billion up from €1.3 billion in May 2018. These are the main findings of the latest monthly trade report published by the European Commission.
The highest increases in monthly export values (May 2019 compared to May 2018), were recorded for China (up by €320 million) the USA (an increase of €307 million), Japan (rising by €165 million) and Canada (up €55 million) However, exports to Iran (down €29 million), Libya (falling by €27 million) and Morocco (a drop of €27 million) all fell significantly.
Imports rose significantly from the Ukraine (up by €173 million), China (rising €103 million), the USA (an increase of €67 million) and Argentina (up by €59 million). There was however a drop in the value of imports from Morocco (€68 million), Tunisia (€37 million) and Indonesia (€34 million).
By sector, the overall increase in export values was primarily driven by pork meat (up €156 million), spirits and liqueurs (rising €151 million), wine and vermouth (increasing €137 million) and infant food (up by €108 million). By contrast, exports of beet and cane sugar (down €42 million), vegetable oils (excluding palm and olive oil) (dropping by €27 million), live animals (falling €23 million) and fatty acids (a decrease of €19 million) fell.
Increases were recorded in the value of oilcake imports (up by €78 million), cocoa beans (an increase of €76 million), tropical fruit (growing €76 million) and other vegetable oils (rising by €76 million). While imports of fruit (excluding citrus and tropical fruit) (down €157 million), soybeans (dropping by €73 million), palm oil (down €37 million) and olive oil (down €32 million) all fell.