In the first eleven months of last year, the 27 EU countries exported slightly more agricultural products and food, worth 168.5 billion euros. This brings the agricultural trade surplus to 56.2 billion euros, an increase of 2%.
China remained the main growth market for the EU's agricultural and food exports. The demand for pork, wheat, and baby food contributed to an increase in total export value by 3.71 billion euros.
Grain and dairy products increased the value of exports to the Middle East and North Africa, especially to Saudi Arabia (+577 million euros), Algeria (+444 million euros), and Morocco (+412 million euros).
The value of EU exports to the US, on the other hand, decreased by 496 million euros, which mainly affected distilled spirits and wine. The value of EU exports also declined to Singapore (-357 million euros) and Japan (-307 million euros).
EU exports to the United Kingdom, however, experienced a slight increase of 15 million euros compared to the same period last year. The export of wheat, pasta, and pastries from the EU particularly benefited, while sales of wine, spirits and liqueurs, and poultry declined.
Canada remained a growing source of EU imports of agricultural products and food, which increased by 854 million euros, mainly due to rapeseed and hard wheat.
Imports from Brazil rose by 618 million euros, driven by soybeans, while palm oil increased imports from Indonesia (+587 million euros) and Malaysia (+490 million euros). On the other hand, the import value from Ukraine (-806 million euros), the US (-698 million euros), and India (-244 million euros) decreased.