A 12.6% increase compared to last year, EU agri-food exports reached €13.07 billion for July 2019, another monthly record. Imports also increased to €9.92 billion, resulting in a 40% rise of the positive trade balance compared to July 2018, reaching €3.15 billion. These are among the main findings of the monthly trade report published today by the European Commission.
Regarding monthly export values (July 2019 compared to July 2018), the highest were recorded for the USA (up €393 million), China (an increase of €269 million), and Japan (a rise of €215 million). However exports to Hong Kong (down €45 million), Libya (a decrease of €34 million) and Turkey (a drop of €22 million) all fell significantly.
Imports rose most from Ukraine (up €195 million), Brazil (rising by €182 million) and China (an increase of €73 million). There was however a drop in the value of imports from the USA (down €144 million), Indonesia (a drop of €67 million) and New Zealand (a decrease of €33 million).
By sector, the increase in export values was mainly for pork (up €164 million), spirits and liqueurs (an increase of €120 million), milk powders and whey (a rise of €102 million), wine and vermouth (an added €101 million) and offal and other meats (an extra €69 million). By contrast exports decreased the most for beet and sugar cane (down €39 million), vegetable oils (excluding palm and olive oil) (a drop of €37 million), oilseeds other than soyabeans (down €14 million), essential oils (a decrease of €11 million) and wool and silk (down €7 million).
Increases in imports were recorded for tropical fruit (up €149 million), coarse cereals (an increase of €146 million) and vegetable oils (a rise of €88 million). As imports of soyabeans (down €64 million), palm oil (a drop of €50 million) and citrus fruit (a decrease of €47 million) fell the most in value terms.