EU agri-food trade balance strengthens

EU agri-food exports remain strong, with the March 2019 level matching the record level of March 2017 (€12.6 billion) or 7% higher than in March 2018, according to data from the European Commission. Meanwhile, agri-food imports in March totalled €10.1 billion (1.9% up from March 2018). The greatest increases in monthly export values in the past year were recorded for China (+€125 million), the US (+€119 million) and Egypt (+€103 million). The largest falls in exports were to Saudi Arabia (-€96 million) and South Korea (-€24 million).

As for the EU’s agri-food imports, compared to March 2018, there were significant rises in the values arriving from the US (+€138 million), Ukraine (+€87 million) and Ghana (+€48 million). The largest drops were recorded for imports from Argentina (-€72 million), Canada (-€53 million) and New Zealand (-€39 million).