News Export
Corona gives Dutch exports a big blow
Dutch exports took a hard hit in the first half of this year as a result of the corona crisis. The agricultural sector is also taking some blows here. Compared to last year, exports of goods decreased by almost €23 billion, a decrease of 9%.
This is reported by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The decrease is due to the developments in the second quarter, when the effects of the corona crisis became clear. In the first quarter of this year, exports were little lower than in the same period in 2019. This picture did not change until the second quarter. According to Statistics Netherlands, this is partly due to the sharply lower trading prices.
Export prices fell by about 2% in the first quarter and by about 6% in the second quarter. In total, goods exports decreased by 17% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the second quarter of 2019. The export of agricultural goods also declined, but differed considerably among the product groups.
Dairy sector and meat
The export total of agricultural goods that the Netherlands exports fell by 8,8% compared to the first half of 2019. However, there are several product groups that performed better than last year. Take, for example, the export of cheese and curd, which increased by 3% to a total value of more than €1,8 billion. The export of animal feed also increased by 5,4% and represents a total value of €2,8 million.
Despite the increase in exports of cheese and curd, total dairy exports fell by 1,1%. In total, the export value of dairy products and eggs amounted to almost €4,4 billion. The largest decrease in this segment comes from butter and other milk fats. The export of this decreased by 8,7% to a value of €636 million. The export of milk, cream and milk products fell by 4,4% to a value of just under 1,4 billion.
Meat exports also took a hit, but with a decline of 0,1% and a value of more than € 4,6 billion, their performance is actually no worse than in the first half of 2019. The export of beef (fresh, chilled or frozen ) took a hard hit, declining 10,4% to nearly $1,1 billion.
Another gross decrease for a smaller product group is that of meat and edible offal (salted, dried or smoked: flour and powder of meat or other offal). This decreased by 14,6%, but 'only' covers an export value of €304 million. The value of other meat and edible offal (fresh, chilled or frozen) increased by 6,6% to a value of more than €2,8 billion.
Fruit and nuts score well
The most notable increase is that of fruits and nuts. The export of fruit and vegetables in general increased by 2,5%, but looking at the export value of only fruit and nuts, a sharp increase of 12,3% can be seen. In total, almost €10 billion worth of fruit and vegetables was exported. The fruit and nuts product group accounts for one third of this total, with a value of over €3,5 billion. This increase is mainly due to the transit of these products via the Netherlands, as the vast majority of fruit and nut varieties are not produced in the Netherlands.
Grains and grain products have also had to take a hit. The export value fell by 8,9% to more than €1,4 billion. This is mainly due to sharp declines in the export of barley and meslin (unground) -41%, barley (unground) -60,9%, maize (excluding sweetcorn) -43,3 and flour and flour from wheat or medlin (-22,9%).
Jorine Cosse
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