Who receives the majority of our strawberries?

In 2015, our country exported a total of more than 32,1 million kilos of strawberries. That is 12 million kilos more than in 2010. Where do all those strawberries go? That gives a new top 5 of Boerenbusiness, compiled by CBS, answer to.

The Dutch strawberry export has grown considerably over the years. Especially when we compare those numbers, as above, with figures from 2010. Then an increase of almost 60% is visible. Which country has the largest share of this?

Which country buys the most Dutch strawberries?
The majority of our strawberries go to our southern neighbors, namely Belgium. The country bought 2015% of our strawberries in 40,7. In absolute numbers, this concerns 13,11 million kilos of strawberries.

Belgium has been the main buyer of our strawberries for years. For example, in 2014 the country already bought 13,5 million kilos and in 2013 that number was slightly lower with 12,7 million kilos of strawberries. However, that is still much more than the other top 5 countries.

Norway is in second place. That country bought more than 2015 million kilos of strawberries from the Netherlands in 4,9. This means that 15,5% of our strawberries went to Norway in 2015. In 2014, that number was slightly higher, namely more than 5 million kilos. The country has only been in the top 5 since 2014. In 2013, the import of Dutch strawberries was still below 1 million kilos. 

Third place is for Germany. That country imported more than 2015 million kilos of strawberries in 4,6. That is 14,6% of the total number of exported strawberries. In 2014, the country imported 4,2 million kilos of strawberries from our country. The year before, Germany also appeared prominently in the top 5, with 4,6 million tonnes. 

Who fall just off the podium? 
The United Kingdom comes in fourth place. The country bought more than 2015 million kilos of our strawberries in 3,8. That is 11,8% of all strawberries that were exported that year. In 2014, the country also purchased 3,8 million kilos and in 2013 the country also proved to be of great value to the Netherlands. In that year, the British imported more than 3,1 million kilos of strawberries. 

France comes in fifth place. In 2015, that country imported more than 1 million kilos of strawberries from the Netherlands. That is 3,3% of the total kilos of Dutch strawberries sold. In 2014, France had a much smaller share, only 470.000 kilos. In 2013, the country imported 1,2 million kilos. That is comparable to 2015. 

Striking matters?
Sweden also turned out to be a prominent buyer of Dutch strawberries. That country bought 2011 kilos of strawberries in 469.000, almost the same as France (number 5 in the list). However, in recent years the country seems to have disappeared as one of our main importers. 

Spain managed to be the top buyer in the first quarter. The country then took 225.000 kilos. This puts the country head and shoulders at the top of that quarter. However, that is also the only time when Spain emerges as the top buyer. 

The export of Dutch strawberries in 2015

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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