Agricultural export stays on track

The value of agricultural exports grew by an estimated 1 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, despite the corona crisis. Total merchandise exports fell by about 7 percent in 2020. This is reported by CBS and Wageningen Economic Research (WUR) based on a joint study commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV).

The slight growth is qualified by some nuances. For example, the volume of agricultural exports declined slightly and an increase in export prices drove the growth in export value. In addition, the value of Dutch-made agricultural exports contracted 0.6 percent. Nevertheless, the value of total agricultural exports grew due to a 5.1 percent increase in re-exports of agricultural goods. A third nuance is that the estimate is surrounded by more uncertainty than in previous years due to the corona crisis.

Total agricultural exports are estimated to reach 95.6 billion euros in 2020, a new record. Of this, 68.3 billion euros are Dutch-made exports and 27.3 billion euros are re-exports. Exports generated an estimated 41.9 billion euros in export services for the Dutch economy. Including agriculture-related goods, the value of exports amounted to 105.4 billion euros and 46.1 billion euros in export services.

cbs.nl