News item | 24-01-2023 | 08:00
The Netherlands exported agricultural goods worth €122.3 billion in 2022, 17.2% more than in 2021. This is entirely the result of price increases, including as a result of the war in Ukraine and rising energy costs. The export volume shrank by 0.5%. The Netherlands imported agricultural goods worth €88.2 billion, 23.5% more than in 2021 – this increase is also the result of price increases. This is according to the annual survey of Wageningen Economic Research (WEcR) and CBS on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.
Minister Piet Adema: “These figures once again show that Dutch agriculture is a global player. I’m proud of that. Of course, these numbers come in the context of a challenging transition to more sustainable agriculture. This transition has consequences for the nature of our sector and therefore also the nature of our international trade.
However, the transition also helps us to maintain our international position: with more sustainable products we gain economic ground in a changing global market, with changing consumer demand, and that in a better relationship with nature and climate. My starting point is therefore that we remain a global leader – for example when it comes to sustainability, knowledge, innovation and our renowned entrepreneurship.”
International shocks
This edition of the report once again shows that Dutch agriculture and horticulture is strongly intertwined with European and international markets, so that the effects of the war in Ukraine, for example, have major consequences for the trade in Dutch agricultural goods.
The war leads, among other things, to higher prices for Dutch agriculture. That increase in prices is the direct cause of the increase in the financial value of both exports and imports. In other words, because farmers had higher costs, they also demanded higher prices for their products on the world market. So no more products were exported.
Europe remains the most important market
Europe remains the most important market for both the export and import of agricultural goods for the Netherlands. In total, 69.7% of our exports go to the European Union (EU). In particular, the nearby markets of Germany (24% of exports and 18% of imports), Belgium (12% of exports and 13% of imports) and France (8% of exports and 7% of imports) ).
The € 122.3 billion in exports consists of Dutch-manufactured goods (€ 79.8 billion) and re-exports (€ 42.5 billion). The product groups with the highest export value in 2022 are dairy and eggs (€ 11.9 billion), floriculture products (€ 11.5 billion), meat (€ 11 billion), beverages (€ 8.1 billion) and natural oils and fats € (8.1 billion).
Exports of agricultural-related goods, such as agricultural machines, machines for the food industry, greenhouse materials, fertilizers and plant protection products, also increased in 2022, to € 13.4 billion (23% growth compared to 2021).
The report once again emphasizes that the Dutch agri-food sector has innovative entrepreneurship, expertise and a unique logistical position.