Date Created: 12 July 2011
Scottish Development International has announced a record breaking year for Scottish food and drink exports in 2010.
The figures, extracted from HMRC export statistics, show food exports breaking through the £1 billion barrier for the first time, reaching £1.06 billion thanks to a 14 percent increase.
Combined growth of 11 percent saw total international sales of Scottish food and Scotch whisky reach £4.51 billion.
Scotch whisky continued to prove its worth to the Scottish econommy with total sales of £3.45 billion and annual growth of ten percent.
The continued growth of food exports, and the breaking of the billion pound barrier, is further evidence of an increased international awareness of the quality and provenance of Scottish food.
The fish and seafood sector grew by 12 percent, hitting £620 million to show the benefits of industry wide collaboration to increase overseas demand, particularly of Scottish salmon.
An increase of 20 percent in export volumes of Scottish salmon is testament to the value of that strategy.
Welcoming the results Anne McColl, SDI's Chief Executive, said:
"This fantastic result is testimony to the hard work of indigenous food and drink industry and the growing international perception of Scotland as a world-leading producer of high quality food and drink.
"We are very proud of this reputation and this is something we are continuing to nurture through our ongoing contact with some of the world’s leading food and drink buyers, with whom we meet regularly via our network of overseas trade and investment offices.
"The numbers show that traditional export markets such as Europe and the US are proving very attractive to Scottish companies, but we can’t underestimate the opportunities further afield in Asia. Thanks to the competitive exchange rate, Scottish goods are now up to 40 percent cheaper than they were two years ago and Asia has plenty of high net worth individuals who have money in their pockets.
"As such, our message to Scottish companies is to be bold and broaden your horizons; the opportunity is out there and SDI can support you in taking those first steps to achieve your global ambitions."
Key figures released by SDI include:
- The fastest growing markets for Scottish food products are Poland (up 139 percent on 2009), UAE (+114 percent), Germany (+29 percent), USA (+25 percent), Canada (+24 percent), Japan (+22 percent) and France (+15 percent)
- In the drinks category, Scotch whisky exports grew by 10 percent in value to £3.45 billion
- Eight of the top ten markets grew in value, with a strong performance in the USA (+19 percent to £499 million) which remained Scotch’s largest export market by value
- The ‘BRIC’ markets continued to develop, with exports growing to Brazil (+12 percent to £67 million), China (+24 percent to £55 million), India (+46 percent to £41 million) and Russia (+61 percent to £31 million)
Scotland's food and drink sector