Trade in food slightly up in 2003

For the second year in a row the share of foodstuffs has increased in total Dutch international trade. In 2003 16.2 billion euro worth of food products were imported and 26.4 billion euro worth exported. This means that nearly 8 percent of Dutch imports and just over 11 percent of exports are food products.

Trade in food, 2003

Brisk trade in fruit and vegetables

Some 30 percent of Dutch food imports and exports consist of fruit and vegetables; indeed this is the most important group of traded products within the category of foodstuffs, followed by dairy products and meat.

In 2003 4.8 billion euro worth of fruit and vegetables were imported, 3 percent more than in 2002, while the Netherlands exported 8.0 billion euro of fruit and vegetables, nearly 2 percent more than in 2002.

Coffee exports up sharply

Cacao is the main trade product within the group coffee, tea and cacao. In 2003 exports of coffee rose substantially compared with the previous year. Last year more than 100 million euro of coffee was exported. This is just over 75 percent more than in 2002. Coffee imports rose by 15 percent in 2003 to 300 million euro.

Cheese trade stable

Import and export values of cheese were about the same in 2003 as in 2002. Nearly half a billion euro worth of cheese was imported, mainly from the European Union. The value of exported cheese was around 2 billion euro in 2003. Only 10 percent of cheese exports go to countries outside the EU.

Food trade by country, 2003

Food trade mainly within EU

Nearly 70 percent of imported foodstuffs come from countries in the EU. Nearly one quarter of these imports come from Germany. Eighty percent of food exports stay within the EU. Here, too, Germany is the most important trading partner, accounting for just over one quarter of exports.

Wiel Packbier